When it comes to your oral health, nothing is as effective and durable as the design nature intended. Therefore, when you lose a tooth, your replacement should mimic your natural tooth structure as closely as possible. There are a number of options for replacing the visible part of your teeth that help restore your mouth’s biting and chewing abilities. However, there’s only one option that replaces the supportive roots of your lost teeth – dental implants. To learn how implants preserve your oral health, take our short quiz on dental implants and their lifelong benefits.
Dental Implants and Your Oral Health
1. Traditional dental prostheses replace the part of your tooth above the gum line, called the crown. What part of your tooth, which extends below the gum line and into your jawbone, does a dental implant replace?
a.) Root
b.) Pulp
c.) Enamel
2. The secret to dental implants’ success is the biocompatible titanium that they’re made from, which facilitates the process of osseointegration. What is osseointegration?
a.) The implant fusing to the replacement tooth
b.) Your jawbone fusing to the replacement tooth
c.) Your jawbone fusing to the implant
3. The loss of your teeth’s roots can devastate your oral health if left untreated. What destructive process do titanium dental implants help prevent?
a.) Gum disease
b.) Malocclusion
c.) Jawbone deterioration
Answers
- A) Root—Dental implants are surgically inserted into your jawbone where the roots of your teeth once were. By attaching your dental prosthesis to one or more implants, you can anchor your replacement teeth as securely as your healthy, natural teeth.
- C) Your jawbone fusing to the implant—For a prosthetic tooth root to be effective, it must be placed and secured within your jawbone, like a natural tooth root. Dental implants are designed from biocompatible titanium so that your jawbone accepts them as genuine and fuses to their surfaces, a process known as osseointegration.
- C) Jawbone deterioration—When you bite and chew, the teeth roots within your jawbone are stimulated and tell your body that your jawbone needs nutrients to support them. With every root lost, this nutrient supply diminishes, and in time, your jawbone can deteriorate from the deficiency. Replacing these roots with dental implants helps restore root stimulation and preserve your jawbone’s health.