Dental implants are considered to be “one of the most important advances in dental treatment over the last two decades.” Dental implants allow for the replacement of individual teeth and/or a variety of teeth. Dental implants are defined as, “titanium rods about a centimeter long that are placed inside the jawbone and serve the same purpose as the roots of teeth.” There are both pros and cons when it comes to dental implants. Patients considering getting them should consider both sides of the coin before making a final decision.
Starting with the pros, dental implants once in place can last a person a lifetime which makes them well worth the money. Dental implants are very practical and look as natural as real teeth. Dental implants look a great deal better than other forms of dental fixtures such as traditional, removable bridges and dentures (which can be both loose fitting in the mouth). Dental implants also feel better in the mouth than do bridges and the biting action of the dental implants is every bit as good, in not better than that of bridges.
Dental implants are excellent in their fit and look very striking. Dentists can replace one, two, three and even more teeth in a patient’s mouth or the implant can be used to create supports for dentures. Implants allow a patient to look younger and they can make it possible for bridges to be positioned in the mouth where there is no individual tooth or teeth to connect it to. Dental implants can correct a jaw that is completely toothless. As well dental implants can prevent bone that is toothless from what is called as resorbing (in other words, dissolving and shrinking).
The cons are the downside of dental implants. One of the biggest is the cost of them which is great. Dental implants can run a patient into the thousands. They are a great deal pricier than removable full or partial dentures and fixed bridges. Dental implants are not always covered by insurance policies. It is a very time consuming process that involves frequent visits to the dentist. In the most complicated of cases, patients can be making multiple visits for a period of one to two years.
Dental implant surgery involves a certain degree of pain afterwards as well as bruising and swelling. This will vary from person to person. The false tooth that is positioned on top during the surgery, known as the crown, will likely have to be replaced sometime during a ten to fifteen year period. Dental implants do not always “integrate” or take to a patient’s mouth. In other words, sometimes the surgery is a failure. This can depend on a number of different factors, the most common being the type of implant that was used and the overall health of the patient in question. Most often this surgery is a failure when it comes to specific diseases such as diabetes that is not under control for example, as well as in those individuals who smoke. Breakage of dental implants commonly occurs which are definite cons as well as the occurrence of infections inside the mouth.
