Dental implants are widely thought to be the most sophisticated technology available for the replacement of missing teeth and, according to the experienced cosmetic dentist we spoke to in Colorado Springs, the proof is in the pudding. Dental implants boast a number of benefits over and above the traditional approaches to replacing teeth and they also last far longer. In order to develop a better appreciation for this “breakthrough” technology, we asked our dentist a number of questions and you shall find his answers to those questions in this article and the next three in the series…
Let’s begin by understanding exactly what dental implants are, doctor.
So the dental implants themselves are not actually what we see when someone who has had teeth replaced smiles, correct?
Colorado Springs Cosmetic Dentist: “Correct. It is the goal of any dental implant dentist to achieve smile perfection, which means the implant remains hidden beneath the gum line while the artificial replacement tooth is visible and carefully fabricated to match the neighboring teeth in aesthetics.”
Is the process that allows dental implants to become non-removable similar to joint replacement and bone repair using titanium implants?
Colorado Springs Dental Implant Dentist: “The process is precisely the same. It’s called osseointegration, which refers to the knitting of the bone tissue to the surface of the implant. Titanium is perhaps the only material in the world that is accepted by the body and not rejected by infection.”
Very interesting! Moving along, can dental implants be used to replace more than one tooth?
Wouldn’t that work out to be incredibly expensive?
Colorado Springs Dentist: “Actually, no… the introduction of more sophisticated dental implant technology and techniques has rendered oral rehabilitation substantially more affordable. Instead of the hundreds of thousands of dollars one would traditionally spend on getting a full set of non-removable teeth, you’d be looking at tens, which is a small price to pay when you consider that you’re having an essential body part replaced!”
Stay Tuned for Part 2
Stay tuned for the second installment of this four-part article series to find out more about dental implants and what patients can expect from getting missing and/or irreparably damaged teeth replaced.