Dental implants are artificial dental roots and typically feature a cylindrical or screw shaped design. In order to replace missing teeth, dental implants are directly inserted into the patient’s jaw. Once inserted, they serve the same purpose as the patient’s own dental roots, as the implants adhere to the jaw bone.
Typically implants consist of the implant body, which is directly inserted into the bone, and the superstructure of the implant, which allows a rigid connection of crowns or prostheses to the implant body. The majority of implants are made out of titanium, which is especially suitable for integration into tissue (biocompatible) and allows for tight and rigid connection to the jaw bone (osseointegration). Moreover, titanium does not cause allergic reactions. One of the most outstanding advantages of dental implants is the fact, that no damaging of healthy teeth is required, which is the case for all other types of rigidly attached tooth replacements. In a nutshell, the most important advantages of dental implants are:
- Replacement of lost teeth,
- Preservation of the jaw bone,
- Preservation of healthy teeth,
- Guaranteed biocompatibility (the inserted materials can permanently stay in contact to body cells without reaction)
- Safe and mostly low-risk type of treatment
- Cost effective treatment due to increased durability of the implants compared to other types of prostheses
