A dental implant is an artificial tooth root replacement made of titanium and shaped like a screw. The use of dental implants has become more common as procedures have gotten easier and success rates grown higher with the years. Here are some of the reasons people go for dental implants

• Aesthetics dental implants look and feel good and with modern technology, dentists can achieve results that look exactly like natural teeth
• Comfort a dental implant is such a good tooth replacement, that you don’t even remember its not real
• Durability- dental implants offer a permanent solution to tooth loss. They bond with the jaw bone and become part of it, this connection is as strong as natural tooth
• Improved hygiene- individual implants allow easier access between teeth, enabling everyday normal dental care and in that way improve oral hygiene

CONSIDERATIONS

For dental implant procedures to work, there must be enough bone in the jaw and the bone has to be strong enough to hold and support the implant. In addition natural teeth and supporting tissues near where the implant will be placed must be in good health

SUCCESS RATES

Dental implant success is related to operator skill, quality and quantity of the bone available at the site, and also the patients oral hygiene. The general consensus of opinion is that implants carry a success rate of around 95%

FAILURE

A dental implant is considered to be a failure if it is lost, mobile or shows peri-implantitis. Inflammation in the bone surrounding the implant causes bone loss which ultimately may lead to failure, often evidenced by the ability to “spin” an implant.

Risk of failure increases in smokers. For this reason implants are frequently placed only after a patient has stopped smoking as the treatment is very expensive.

Older adults have similar success rate with implants as compared with younger people. As long as you are in good health and your periodontist can restore healthy gums and adequate bone to support the implant, you’re never too old to receive a dental implant.