When it comes to teeth implants, many people get rather confused. Sure, they have a problem with their teeth and need to have some extracted. But then what? Dentures? A bridge? Crowns?
Photo credit: El Ronzo via Foter.com / CC BY-ND
And then teeth implants? Tooth implants? Dental implants? Which one is correct?
Well in one sense they all are. Strictly speaking, dental implants is the correct terminology, but after that, what does it matter? Who cares? All you want is something to replace those missing teeth, and dental implants are by far the best way to do it. Why? Because dental implants/tooth implants/teeth implants work in exactly the same way as your own original teeth did before you lost them.
Your tooth had a root in the jawbone with a tooth mounted on top. When you have dental implants it’s the same principle: the implant is fixed into your jawbone and the tooth (known as a crown) is fitted on top.
Certainly, if you lose a tooth but the root is still intact and functioning perfectly, you can have a crown fitted on top of it. But this is often not the case: the root may actually be the cause of the problem and why you lost the tooth in the first place.
You can also have a bridge if you have one tooth missing. The way that works is that the perfectly good teeth on either side of the missing one have to be cut down in order to install the bridge. Hands up everyone who thinks that is a good idea in the 21st century.
Dentures vs. Dental Implants
And then there are dentures. These should fit well when you first use them, but they have a nasty habit of becoming loose and may slip and slide about when you eat, when you talk, when you laugh. You will probably find that there are certain foods that you cannot eat, such as nuts or anything else that requires hard chewing. You also have to take them out at night and keep them in a solution to clean them overnight. Talk to anyone who has dentures and you probably won’t find that they are great fans.
And then there are teeth implants or tooth implants or dental implants or anything else that you want to call them. It really doesn’t matter what you call them: they are simply the ultimate answer for missing teeth in the 21st century. The implant is a titanium screw that is implanted in your jawbone and the tooth is fitted on top of it. In every respect it works in the same way as the tooth that you have lost did.
So if you have missing teeth, dental implants are the way forward – no matter what name you give them.
