While many people are familiar with dental procedures like fillings and root canals, dental implants may not be as common. If you have lost a tooth because of severe tooth decay or if your tooth has been knocked out in an accident, having a dental implant inserted in your gums is a great way to replace a missing tooth.

Dental implants are long-lasting, artificial teeth directly inserted into the jawbone with a metal screw so they can securely function as normal teeth. While this is an invasive procedure, dental implants can last for 25 years and require no special care.

What to Expect When Getting Dental Implants

Getting a dental implant involves building a new tooth and root into your mouth where you lost a tooth. Metal and porcelain are some of the materials used to create your new, artificial tooth and root. This procedure includes a couple phases and months in between to fully heal. The process of getting a dental implant is:

• Consultation: This is an involved procedure, so it is important to make sure you can undergo it as well as see how much bone loss you have where your tooth once was. The bone is important for setting the artificial root. If you have lost bone in your jaw, you may need an additional procedure before continuing with getting an implant.
• Inserting artificial root: If you are all clear to proceed after your consultation, a titanium screw will be placed in the gums and supported by the jawbone. Before moving on to the next phase, your mouth must be fully healed. 
• Attaching abutment: After you are fully healed, your dentist will attach an abutment, or connector, to the titanium screw that will support the crown.
• Attaching the crown: The crown is the part of the dental implant that actually looks like a tooth. This is the last step of the process.

Are Dental Implants Just for Appearances?

While dental implants are often wanted to replace front teeth because the implant can look so much like a natural tooth, they are not only used to complete your smile. A dental implant is an incredible procedure that can do wonders for your overall mouth function as well as the appearance of your face. When a tooth is lost, a number of things can happen like:

• Surrounding teeth can shift
• Jawbone begins to dissolve where tooth once was
• Speech difficulties
• Chewing difficulties
• Hollow cheeks
• Lack of support for lips

If you have more questions or would like to schedule a consultation with a dentist about getting dental implants and you live in Coralville, IA, give Dr. Rubel at Coral West Dental a call today.