Dental implants are very important for those who have lost a tooth due to an
accident or some other mishap. These dental implants can virtually replace your lost
tooth and make you smile with confidence.
However, it is to be remembered that dental implants are not your natural teeth and
have a proper mechanism that keeps them in your mouth for a long time. A dental
implant has two parts, a cylinder and an abutment. The cylinder is placed on your
jawbone where the roots of your tooth had been, while the abutment is screwed to the
cylinder. A crown, which is the visible part, is placed on top of the abutment.
This all sounds good, but there is just a problem. The cylinder has to be stable
enough to keep your dental implant in place. In many cases, especially older or
those who have bone issues, the jawbone isn’t strong enough to support it. It may be
too brittle, and your dentist will ask you to get bone grafting. In bone grafting,
the jawbone is strengthened with an external piece of bone or a material that acts
like bone. Your jawbone is left for several months to allow the newly grafted piece
to adjust. It may seem like a long time, but it is necessary to keep your jaw from
breaking.
Once the dentist thinks that the jawbone is strong enough to keep the implant in
place, he/she will perform the surgery and place the dental implant where you lost
the tooth.
