When considering dental implants to enhance your smile, it is common to have questions about what to expect during treatment. Some typical questions include:
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are currently the most advanced way to replace missing teeth, offering a viable solution to permanent tooth loss because they integrate with the jawbone, an aspect other alternatives do not offer. Dental implants offer many benefits.
What are the advantages of dental implant treatment?
- Improved aesthetics – dental implants improve the look and feel of your teeth. Gaps are unsightly, but dental implants fill the gaps with teeth that look very real – people cannot tell the difference.
- Improved bite and function – dental implants do more than just replace your tooth. By replacing your tooth, you restore normal function to your teeth, allowing you to bite properly for more effective chewing and also improvements made to speech. They are stronger than alternative options.
- Durable & may last a lifetime – dental implants are made to last a lifetime, which is only possible through good oral hygiene and maintenance. Implants should be treated as real teeth and maintained as such.
- Improved self-esteem – when we’re happy with the way we look, we smile more. When we smile more, we feel better about ourselves and this positivity translates through all aspects of our life. Dental implants help restore our beautiful smile, with one of the end results being improved self-esteem.
What can I expect during the treatment?
Dental implants are a multi-step procedure. The first step involves the placement of a titanium implant that may take up to 3 months to set in place through a process known as Osseointegration. This process is what binds the implant to the jawbone for a solid, structural foundation that mimics the strong bond real teeth have. You may be prescribed antibiotics to prevent the occurrence of infection. This process is typically done by a specialist whom your dentist in Austin TX will refer you to, while the additional steps following implant placement are always done in your dentist’s office.