The number of dental implant procedures performed increased by 6.3 percent between 2019 and 2020. The procedure overall has been on the rise since the late 1990s.
Receiving dental work can be scary, especially if you’re a part of the 36 percent of the population that suffers from anxiety at the dentist’s office. However, dental implants are usually painless and can keep you from further dental work that could be painful.
So what do dental implants look like, and who can reap the benefits of dental implants? Keep reading to find out if you could use dental implants and what they’ll look like.
What Are Dental Implants?
To put it simply, dental implants are pretty much artificial teeth. More specifically, the dental implant acts as a makeshift tooth root.
A dental implant is placed inside your jawbone and acts just as a tooth root does. Then, a connector is custom-made to fit between your existing teeth to attach to the dental implant.
This connector allows the dentist to apply a crown in place of where your tooth used to be.
What do dental implants do? These three parts together allow your dental implants to function exactly as a real tooth does.
What Do Dental Implants Look Like?
The dental implant itself looks exactly like a screw you’d see at a construction site. Once this screw is implanted into your jaw, it will eventually fuse with your bone and act as a tooth root.
The connector used in dental implants is a small little diamond shape. It attaches to both the screw and the crown.
However, the only part of a dental implant you will actually see is the crown they put on top of the implant itself. The crown, usually made from porcelain, resin, or ceramics, looks exactly like a real tooth.
When a crown is made, it’s usually colored to match the natural color of your other teeth. If it’s replacing an old tooth that was still intact, they can mold your original tooth to make it look as natural as possible.
Who Do Dental Implants Help?
So who needs dental implants? The number of problems that dental implants can solve may surprise you.
Most commonly, dental implants are needed when you have a missing tooth. When losing a tooth or needing an extraction is inevitable, dental implants are also the best route.
You may be subject to losing a tooth or needing one extracted if you have an infection or tooth decay. Some injuries may also require you to get a dental implant, especially if your jaw gets damaged.
Love Your Smile
Now you know the answer to ‘what do dental implants look like’ as well as who can benefit from getting dental implants. It’s time to talk to your dentist if you think dental implants are right for you.
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