Dental implants are used to replace missing teeth. They are made of titanium or zirconia and are strategically placed into the bone where the tooth roots once were. Once properly attached to the bone (Osseo Integration), the proper restoration can be placed on top, such as a crown, bridge, or denture. Essentially, a Calgary dental implant acts as an artificial root, which will later be topped with a crown that will be screwed on top of the implant and sealed into place.
Dental Implants can be used to support many different restoration options. These can be single crowns for each implant, an implant-supported bridge for a longer span of missing teeth, or several implants that can be used to support a large prosthesis such as a complete denture (sometimes referred to as “All-on-4”).
For these larger prosthetics, the option can be “fixed” or “removable,” depending on each patient’s needs.
Dental implants can replace a single tooth very effectively without having to compromise tooth structure and aesthetics. We often see this in patients who have fractured their front teeth in an accident.
Patients who have been relying on dentures for some time (whether it is a partial or complete denture “plate”), can utilize dental implant therapy to increase the functionality and comfort of their existing prosthesis drastically.