How Teeth and Implants Work Together for a Healthy Smile?

A healthy smile conveys warmth and maintains social relationships. It is often considered a universal language. More importantly, a smile free from the need to hide behind palms grants you a life filled with self-assurance.

Missing teeth can make your smile awkward by creating gaps. Thanks to teeth implants. They offer a durable solution for missing teeth, integrating seamlessly to maintain long-term functionality. The synchronized functioning can be attributed to the teeth implant's harmony.

Let’s get deeper into understanding dental implants.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are metal screw-like structures made from biocompatible materials. Your dentist will perform the dental implant procedure surgically.

They will place titanium or zirconium implants into your jawbone. These lie in the jawbone and bear artificial teeth on top that look and function more like natural teeth.

After loading, the implant surface establishes a structural and functional connection with the surrounding bone. It is called osseointegration, and an implant does not move after successful osseointegration.[1]

Dental Implants: How Do They Work?

The efficacy of teeth implants stems from their design. Their structure mirrors that of natural teeth. The root portion of the natural teeth lies embedded in the jaw and anchors the visible crown portion.

Dental implants closely resemble this structure. This allows them to blend seamlessly with the natural teeth' functions and appearance.

Delving deeper, dental implants comprise three key components:

• Implant: This portion will be inside the jawbone and act as a tooth root, providing a solid foundation.
• Abutment: This is a small metal connector to secure artificial teeth on the implant.
• Artificial teeth: They can be crowns or fixed full-arch dentures. It depends on the number of implants a person needs.

Dental implants present a natural-looking smile. The truth about dental implants is that they function beyond aesthetics. They also improve oral health.

Are you wondering how these artificial metal screws provide a healthy smile? Don’t worry! We’ve covered all the details to help you understand dental implant functions.

Benefits of Dental Implants

Dental implants contribute to a healthy smile by providing the following benefits.

Smile Appearance

Gaps left by missing teeth can disrupt the harmony of your smile, making it look awkward. Dental implants, whether for single or multiple gaps, seamlessly fill these voids and restore balance to your smile. By doing so, dental implants enhance your facial appearance, gifting you a radiant, healthy smile.

Natural-Look

Dental implants bear meticulously crafted artificial teeth. These match seamlessly with existing teeth' size, color, and shape.

The result? Natural teeth and implants look similar making it harder to distinguish from your original teeth virtually.

Facial Contour

Teeth in the jawline support and impart fullness to the cheeks and lips.

Fallen teeth lead to sagging and hollowing of facial features. However, dental implants behave like natural teeth. They impart support to lips and cheeks, helping to maintain facial contour.

Overall Facial Appearance

Molars play a crucial role in holding the jawline shape. Their loss results in a sunken appearance of the jaws due to jaw bone deterioration. Stepping into the details, bone is a dynamic living tissue. It constantly remodels itself by replenishing old tissue with the new material.

In a healthy oral cavity, the action of chewing stimulates jaw bone rebuilding. However, when teeth are lost, the absence of this stimulus results in bone resorption.

Most aged individuals experience sunken jaws for this reason. However, teeth implants substitute natural tooth roots after successful osseointegration. The bite and chew force stimulates jawbone growth, preventing further bone loss.

Hence, dental implants improve the facial look by avoiding sunken jaws. Further, they also preserve jaw bone health.

As mentioned earlier, dental implant functionality extends beyond looks. Catch a glimpse of the functional aspects of dental implants by scrolling further.

Chewing Ability

Dental implants seamlessly fill the gaps left by missing or fallen teeth. They are durable and can bear the same pressure that natural teeth do.  They are fixed and support artificial teeth without slipping. Doing so, dental implants restore bite force, improving your chewing ability.

Quality of Speech

Missing teeth can make it difficult to pronounce words correctly by disrupting airflow. Implants fill these gaps and enable clear pronunciation by adding clarity to speech. Hence, they improve the quality of speech.

Stability to Adjacent Teeth

When a tooth falls from a jaw, it is natural that the adjacent teeth drift towards the space. Further, this can lead to misalignment, resulting in uneven bite. However, implants fixed in the missing tooth spaces behave like natural tooth roots. They impart stability to the surrounding teeth.

Long-Lasting Effects 

Restorations like dentures and bridges last for 5-10 years.[2] However, dental implants are durable. They last for a lifetime with proper care. 

Are you wondering about the durability of dental implants? It is because of osseointegration that dental implants can last for a lifetime.

Osseointegration

Osseointegration adds strength and support to the implants, aiding in long-term functionality. Implants are surrounded by soft mucosa and hard bone tissues within the jawbone. This is also known as the peri-implant tissue.

The junctional epithelium and the connective tissue of the peri-implant surface form a seal between the implant surface and peri-implant bone tissue. This bonding supports implants. Besides, it is essential for the success of implants on a long-term basis.[3]

A few other factors also decide the success rate of osseointegration. They are

• Implant surface
• Jaw bone quality

Your dentist will ensure you have enough jaw bone before teeth planting surgery. This is because implants may dislodge off the site when the bone quality is low.

Some people suffer jaw bone resorption after tooth loss. They may require ridge augmentation or bone grafting. This is to prepare the jaws to support the upcoming implants. [4]

Further, the implant site should not be disturbed for effective and successful osseointegration. It would take between 3-8 months for effective osseointegration. [5]

Conclusion

Teeth implants are a perfect solution for missing teeth. These restore smile and preserve jaw bone health. Furthermore, dental implants improve the quality of life by enhancing bite force. More importantly, they appear natural and ensure a secure fix. Overall, teeth and implants work together for a healthy, flawless smile.

References

1. Research on implants and osseointegration
2. Longevity of Partial and Complete Dentures
3. Dental Implants: An Overview
4. Contemporary Concepts in Osseointegration of Dental Implants: A Review
5. Primary stability of implant placement and loading related to dental implant materials and designs: A literature review
6. The survival rates and risk factors of implants in the early stage: a retrospective study