The Advantages of Tooth Implant Surgery
If you miss the days when you had all your teeth then help is at hand. You can now have tooth implant surgery that will give you the closest thing to your natural teeth. It looks and works just like the real thing. Replacing a number of teeth is a breeze with tooth implant surgery.
What's even better is that you don't have to worry about extracting other teeth. There are of course risks to undergoing tooth implant surgery just as there are risks with any type of surgery. Despite the advances in this field not everyone is an ideal candidate for this surgery.
The Upside
If you have strong and healthy gums then you are a good candidate for tooth implant surgery. A titanium implant is inserted where your root once was. The implant now functions as your root. Once the bone in your jaw has fused with your implant a new tooth can be fixed to the implant.
It can take three to six months for an implant to fuse with the jawbone. The healing process is often what puts people off having this surgery. However it is necessary and once you have had the surgery you will have a new tooth that feels just like your old one, if not better.
The natural look and feel of crowns inserted after tooth implant surgery is often seen as a huge plus to anyone who has undergone the surgery. Having dentures although cosmetically pleasing, is not the same as having a new tooth. Dentures can break if you eat anything too hard. You need to take out your dentures when you eat so as not to break the dentures or cause yourself any pain.
Risks
Despite the benefits, not everyone is an ideal candidate for surgical dental implants. Heavy smokers and drinkers are not advised to have this surgery. This is because excessive smoking and drinking can make it very hard for the gums to heal. Smokers also have a high incidence of gum disease and you must have healthy gums before undergoing tooth implant surgery.
Sometimes surgery can leave some patients with a sensation of tingling or numbness in the tongue, chin, or lip. This is due to bruising of the nerves in the lower jaw. Most of the time this is a temporary side effect, however some people experience a permanent change in sensation.
Other people experience a failed implant. In such a case the implant has not properly fused with the jawbone. This will cause the implant to be loose. When this happens the implant must be taken out and the gums allowed to heal fully before further tooth implant surgery is attempted.
