Dental implants — sometimes known as implant restoration — is a more permanent way to replace lost teeth than dentures. It’s a two-part procedure that provides you natural-looking, permanent teeth. Dental implants are an excellent alternative to dentures; however, most insurance plans do not cover the procedure. Kemper Pond Dental offers dental implants at their family dentistry practice in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Dental Implant Process

Replacing lost or damaged teeth with dental implants requires at least two visits to your dentist. First, the titanium tooth root implant is placed into the bone socket left by the missing tooth. This small piece of metal looks like a screw, and minor surgery is required to insert it into the jaw. As the jaw heals, it grows around the titanium post to anchor it securely. It takes six to 12 weeks to heal completely.

Once the jaw has healed, and the post is secure, a small connector post is attached to the anchor to hold the new tooth. A replacement tooth, called a crown, is then appended to the post. When the work is complete, the implant will blend with your natural teeth.

Benefits of Dental Implants

The process of installing implants can feel long, but it comes with several benefits that make the investment worthwhile for many patients:

• Improved Appearance: Dental implants are advantageous because they look and feel like your real teeth. Because they fuse with bone, they become permanent.
• Easier Eating With Implants: Dentures can shift in your mouth and make eating crunchy or sticky foods difficult, but dental implants work like real teeth. This allows you to eat your favorite foods without worrying if your teeth will slide around or worse, pull or fall out of your mouth.
• Improved Oral Health: Most dental implants don’t affect nearby teeth at all, which allows you to maintain the healthy ones. This is important for your overall oral health and helps you avoid long-term complications of modifying more teeth. Individual implants also let you brush and floss with ease to preserve the rest of your natural teeth.

Despite the effort and costs, in the long run, dental implants are often a wise decision. To find out if they’re right for you, call Kemper Pond Dental in Cincinnati at (513) 531-4069 for a consultation. Also, visit their website for more information.