Filling the gaps in your knowledge
People often believe that when they lose a tooth there is no way to entirely restore the functionality and aesthetics that they have lost. However, this is actually not the case, as by seeking out dental implants Herefordshire you can entirely restore both the feeling and strength of a natural tooth.
When people lose a tooth it can often be one of the hardest and most traumatic things that can happen – no matter how old you are. Partly due to the knock on impact that having a gap in your teeth can cause, and equally due to the cosmetic impact that visibly missing teeth can have on how others view you, and indeed how you view yourself.
Dental implants can have a massively positive and healing effect on a patient’s oral health and wellbeing, and their self-confidence and outward appearance.
What actually are dental implants?
Although dental implants have been used by expert dental practices across the country for several years now, many people are still unaware that the option exists, to begin with. This is largely because of the popularity of more conventional treatments such as dentures, bridges, and crowns taking precedent.
These treatments work primarily on a superficial basis, as they cover up the missing gap in the patient’s mouth by sitting on their gum line and relying on the surrounding teeth for support. As such, this means that these treatments often lead to further dental problems over time as they can rub against the patient’s gums and cause discomfort.
Dental implants approach the problem of lost teeth from a different angle, by surgically embedding a new tooth root into the patient’s jawbone. This means that they can use their implant exactly as they would a natural tooth, and they not only look identical to a lost tooth, but they feel almost exactly the same too.
What does the process of getting implants involve?
As dental implants are a permanent solution to lost teeth, they require a small dental surgery procedure to be forever kept in place. Undergoing treatment of this sort, therefore, requires the patients to have fit and healthy gums and teeth – so any signs of decay or gum disease must be treated before anyone can consider dental implants.
Providing the patient’s teeth are healthy and strong enough to undergo treatment, the process of getting dental implants from a trusted, reputable dental provider usually involves the following steps.
Firstly a hole is drilled into the patient’s gum in the space where they are missing one or more teeth. Into this hole, the dental practitioners then place a titanium-alloy tooth socket. Titanium-alloy is specifically used in this procedure as it has the unique power to bond naturally with human bone tissue.
After the titanium-alloy tooth root is inserted into the patient’s gums it is sealed over and given time to fuse together with their jawbone. During this time the dental practitioner will construct a perfectly matched denture which will be later inserted into the firmly fixed anchor-point within their smile.
