With the improvement of medical science in the treatment of different chronic health concerns, now it is capable to fix and provide a permanent solution to the one or more than one missing teeth concern as well. This treatment is known as dental implants surgery which ensures that you will get natural looking and functioning teeth which are more durable than dentures.

The features and advantages of dental implants or surgery are much higher than other common teeth treatment procedures. Also, the success rate of this implant is more than 98% on an average which makes it more reliable and trustful for patients who are suffering from tooth decay or tooth loss problem.

The loss of teeth does not only affect your normal living by causing issues in eating and chewing foods but it is also associated with our external appearance and look. People who lose their tooth very early stages of their life for whatever reason lose their self-esteem and self-confidence for smiling and get socialized.

However, all these issues can be handled under the single roof solution in the form of a dental implant which contains minimal risk factor and appreciable range of benefits. The implanted teeth under this surgery technique have the same size, color, and texture just like the similar nearby teeth of the patients because it is prepared under the supervision of expert surgeons with a very minute detailing.

Another good news about the dental implant is that just like other chronic health surgeries and treatment even this teeth treatment technique can get insurance coverage for all the costs involved to get its processing if the concerned patient has already taken such insurance policy.

Due to all these advantages and features today dental implant is a well-recognized treatment procedure around the world in the teeth care department. It is known as a standard technique for prosthetic replacement of lost or missing teeth in dentistry department.

What It Involves?

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Dental implant surgery replaces the tooth roots with the screw like posts for replacing any missing or already damaged tooth with an artificial tooth which looks and works similar to the real or natural tooth.

This surgery technique offers a facility for replacing other common alternate teeth treatment such as bridgework or denture which often doesnâ€™t fit well or when the application of these techniques seems impossible in the lack of the natural teeth roots.

It creates a strong foundation for both permanent as well as removable replacement teeth which are prepared in such a way that looks just like other natural healthy teeth in your mouth.

The special part of the dental implant is that the teeth replaced in this process stand on its own without any necessity of any kind of support. Also, it doesnâ€™t affect the nearby teeth in any way.

Mostly the dental implants are made up of a titanium material which enables it to integrate well with the bone so that your body wonâ€™t consider it as a foreign or artificial object. That is why it works so natural without creating a feeling of replacement.

This process of fusion in jawbone takes a time of few months for both processing and for the healing purpose. The initiation of this whole replacement process starts with the assessment of special need of an individualized case, damaged or lost teeth root condition, any other health issue if the concerned patient is suffering from currently.

In this point of time, the team of experienced dental surgeons will decide the right dental implant procedures for you on the basis of your existing teeth condition and by considering other vital factors.

After this, missing tooth root implantation is done in its bone socket with titanium made a small post. Along with the healing of jawbone, this develops and grows around the implanted metal post. This process takes time of 6 to 12 weeks approx.

Once the implanted metal fully get surrounded by the jawbone and get secured a connector post known as abutment is securely attached to the metal post so that it can hold tightly to the newly implanted teeth in the next level of the dental implantation process.

In the next step of dental implant includes taking an impression of teeth for preparing new tooth or teeth so that it will look similar to other existing teeth. For this, the impression of your bites are taken and accordingly the fresh tooth model is prepared.

After that, these replacement teeth which is also known as a crown is get attached with the abutment. As the teeth implantation is fully secured with the jawbones so it is very stable, strong and looks and works similar to the natural teeth.

Cost

The costing of dental implant varies from place to place which depends on different factors such as easy availability of resources, number of dental implant hospital, and the processing surgeon who is going to conduct this surgical procedure.

On average, the cost of dental implant surgery is $3000 to$4000 which will cover all the steps by steps procedures needed for the completion of implant surgery from start to end.

In general, dental implant surgery is considered as an elective process by most of the insurance companies so the benefit of insurance is not offered by all insurance companies.

Still, some of the insurance companiesâ€™ give reimbursement offers for the crown portion of this total dental implant placement. In the cases where the concerned patient has not taken any such insurance then total surgery or implantation cost is bared by the patient himself.

Who is Eligible for the Dental Implant Treatment?

People of all ages including both the genders are eligible for the dental implant treatment. So if anyone develops the issue of tooth or teeth loss, due to a weaker tooth root or due to tooth decay can opt. for this reliable dental treatment option.

Also in the cases where other dental treatments such as bridges and dentures are not giving the satisfactory result or they cannot be applied for the concerned dental issue in those conditions also dental implant is the best possible option for treatment and relief.

Who is not Eligible for the Dental Implant Treatment?

The dental implant treatment procedure is not suitable for people who are already suffering from some chronic health issues such as patient of diabetes or heart diseases are ineligible for this treatment.

For the older citizens who have crossed 75 years of their age are also not eligible for this dental treatment as because their gums get feeble due to aging which cannot provide necessary support to the implant leading to cause unsuccessful surgery result.

Surgery

The dental implant surgery is primarily a replacement of roots of the missing tooth which get fused with the bone over a period of time. That is why the teeth implanted are so stable in nature and work equivalently just like a natural tooth.

The process of dental implant surgery depends on the existing jawbone condition and the type of replacement or implant which is going to be conducted.

The dental implant surgery has to go through several procedures and needs a good amount of time for the healing process as well which is also a part of the surgery. So this whole process may take several months for completion.

The dental implant surgery process needs to go through the below-mentioned procedures or steps.

Placing the Metal Post

Placing the dental implant metal post is the very first step in the process of this dental surgery. In this phase, your surgeon will cut your gums to expose the underlying bone.

After that, a small hole is made through drilling into the bone so that this metal post can be placed easily. This post is placed in the very deep inside the bone hole as because in future it has to work as a tooth root so it needs to be very stable and stick.

However, placing the post doesnâ€™t mean that the missing teeth gap will be filled. The gap remains as it is even in this phase. However, if the necessity occurs then a temporary denture can be placed which can be taken out from time to time for the cleaning purpose or while sleeping during the night.

Osseointegration

After the placement of dental implant metal post in the jawbone, the second step of this dental surgery begins which is known as Osseointegration. Under this process, the size of jawbone grows and develops to unite along with the dental implant surface.

This unitization process ensures that the artificial teeth will get a solid base as root as it has to function similar to the naturally grown teeth. As it is a lengthy procedure so can take many months to complete.

Abutment Placing

Once the osseointegration process is completed the second next step include one additional surgery for placing the abutment where the crown will attach in future. In this procedure, the surgeon will reopen the gum in order to expose the dental implant so that the abutment can be attached to it.

After that, the gum tissues are closed around the area excluding the abutment. In a few cases, this abutment is attached along with the dental implant metal post. Under those cases, the necessity of second surgery for attaching abutment is not needed.

However, if this happens then the abutment is easily viewable whenever the concerned patients open up their mouth and remain in the same condition until the tooth prosthesis is done.

This is the reason most people prefer to have abutment in the second surgery to avoid this disrupted appearance issue for a longer duration. After placing abutment it is left for the next 2 weeks for getting it healed completely so that the artificial tooth can be implanted.

Selection of the Artificial Teeth

The next and final step of this surgery includes attachment of artificial teeth but before that, you need to select or choose a new artificial tooth for you. This step starts along with taking impressions of your remaining healthy teeth so that accordingly the crown can be prepared.

The impression ensures that the said artificial tooth will look similar in all respect to other existing teeth in your mouth. However, the crown cannot be placed until the gums heal fully and jawbone gets strong enough to hold and support this newly made tooth or teeth.

The artificial tooth comes in three different types which include removable, fixed and a combination of both (removable plus fixed). So as per your choice and dentists recommendation you can select any of these three varieties of artificial teeth for implanting.

The removable teeth are very much similar to the conventional forms of a removable denture which can be either full or partial denture. The removable teeth is an artificial white tooth with pink gum made up of plastic, which is mounted on a metal frame to get it to attach with the implant abutment.

The benefit of removable dental implant surgery is that these teeth can be removed easily for cleaning or repairing purpose.

The fixed artificial teeth are totally different than the removable implant teeth because they are cemented or screwed permanently on each abutment as much missing teeth the patient have.

As they are fixed in nature so it cannot be removed for the cleaning purposes or while sleeping. In the fixed teeth replacement so many teeth can be replaced at the same point in time because of its strong base availability, and if they are already bridged together during their preparation process.

After Surgery Effect

The dental implant surgery whether it includes only one surgery or has to go through multiple stages of surgery creates some common discomforts or issues after the completion of this whole procedure such as-

Occasional little amount of bleeding.
Pain on the spot area where the implant is conducted.
Bruising develops in gums and skin.
Swelling may occur in face and gums.

In order to ease out these common types of discomforts, the oral surgeon prescribes for pain killer medications and antibiotics for relief. However, if the problem persists for a longer duration then it must be consulted with the dental surgeon without further delay.

Advantages

The dental implant has many unique or special advantages with a comparison to other common dental care treatment. Some of the advantages of dental implants are mentioned below.

Durable

The dental implants are very durable in nature that is why it lasts for several years without causing any problem. Also with proper care, its durability period can be extended to the lifetime.

It Doesnâ€™t Alter Nearby Teeth

Just like the bridge supporting teeth the dental implant doesnâ€™t require to made any changes or reduction of nearby teeth for getting support for its existence. These teeth are implanted easily without altering the nearby teeth area.

This also helps in maintaining oral health by allowing you to maintain proper oral hygiene steps just like you used to do with your old natural teeth before replacement such as brushing, flossing, etc.

Provides Permanent Solution

As the dental implant is done by the process of fusing with the bone so the artificial teeth implanted take a look of permanent teeth and work accordingly.

Looks like Natural Teeth

The dental implant is done by taking an impression of other existing teeth in the mouth so the teeth prepared based on this impression have exact or similar look and feel just like the other existing healthy teeth with respect to color, shape, and size.

Facilitate with Easier Eating Benefit

As the dental implant teeth work just like your natural teeth so you can easily eat and chew all foods that you want to eat without any trouble of pain or discomfort similar to your natural teeth.

Improve Self Confidence

By enhancing your mouth appearance the dental implant improves your self-confidence for smiling, talking and eating.

Enhances your Speech

The dental implant enhances the quality of your speech because of its stability and strong fitting just like the natural teeth which is hardly possible in the cases of dentures where the artificial teeth have poor fitting concerns.

Ease the Discomforts of Removable Dentures

As the dental implant look and function similar to the natural teeth so it eases out all the discomforts associated with the removable dentures.

Risks

The dental implant surgery is also associated with some risks similar to other surgical treatment procedures. However, these risks are very minor and rare and often get treated easily. Some common risks concerns associated with this surgery include the following:

Injury may happen during the surgery process to the nearby teeth or the blood vessels.
Infection may occur on the treated site.
In the cases where dental implants are placed into upper jawline which is connected with one of the sinus cavities, it can cause sinus problem.
Sometimes the dental implant can cause nerve-damaging resulting in pain, tingling and numbness occur in the other natural teeth, gums, chin, and lips.

Insurance

There are many insurance companies which provide full coverage of dental implant cost of its different phases. Also, there are insurance companies which only pay for the final surgery and exclude other or previous phaseâ€™s costs of this whole procedure.

Apart from this, some general medical coverage plans can also provide the benefit of dental implant coverage which you have to ensure while taking these insurance policies on its very initial stage.

For ensuring the complete coverage benefits of all three parts of implants and before the dental implant expenses such an expense for extraction and other similar pre-surgery expenses you need to go through the detail of the terms and conditions of the concerned policy provider documents.

It is suggested to people who are suffering from some of the dental concerns and want a permanent solution for their teeth problem to buy a dental insurance to reimburse all the expenses so that they wonâ€™t have to take the burden of huge expenses associated with this surgery procedure.

The multiple features and advantages of dental implants surgery make it as the best possible dental solution for every individual who is looking for a cost-effective and permanent dental solution.

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Dental Implants – Eligibility, Cost, Surgery, Advantages, Risks and Insurance