Dental implants are one of the best ways to make up for a missing tooth, but it's understandable if you want some answers to your questions before you pursue them. If you've had questions about dental implants, then take a look at this list of common queries and see if yours are answered.
How Long Do They Last?
Dental implants are surprisingly long-lasting. While dentures and dental bridges last about an equal amount of time, dental implants surge past them lasting potentially 25 years. A quarter of a century is nothing to scoff at, and for many people, dental implants will be the last method of tooth replacement that they ever need.
Are They Painful?
Dental implants might seem like they could be painful, but they really aren't. The implant itself is inserted while you're under general anesthesia, like any other dental surgical procedure. You won't actually use the implant until it's fully healed into your body, taking advantage of both the strength of your gums and your jaw bone. Once it's reached this level of integration, you shouldn't expect any pain when you chew on the implant. It'll just feel like another tooth in your mouth.
Will You Have To Stay Toothless For a While?
When you get a dental implant, there is a period of time while you'll need to have a gap between your teeth. If you're already missing a tooth, this shouldn't be a big deal, but even if you need to have a tooth pulled and replaced, it won't be for long.
The reason for this is that dental implants are put in place and then given time to heal. The gums heal up quickly around the implant, but the real support system comes from the jaw. Here, the implant stimulates the growth of new bone cells that grow around the implant, fusing it to the jaw bone and keeping it firmly in place.
Until your implant has fully completed this process, it can't support a dental crown. However, you shouldn't have to wait for too long.
Do They Look Realistic?
Dental implants look more realistic than certain tooth replacements, like dentures. They should look just as real to you as any other dental crown that you have, as the only visible part is the crown, and the same kind that's used to cover and protect teeth is also utilized to sit on top of a dental implant.
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