What Is A Dental Implant?

What is a dental implant?

Many people have heard of dental implants but don’t know how to answer the question – “What is a dental implant?”  A dental implant is a manmade replacement for a missing tooth root.  The root is the important part of the tooth that supports the crown of the tooth that you see in your mouth.  Once a tooth is extracted, it can be replaced with a dental implant, and the replacement involves three parts.

What are the parts of replacing a missing tooth with a dental implant?

1. As we explained, the most important part is replacing the foundation.  The foundation is the root of a tooth.  In this case, the foundation is the actual dental implant.  The dental implant is like a hollow screw.  That hollow screw is what is placed in the dental bone.  That part is actually the part that is what a dental implant is.
2. The second part to replacing a missing tooth is called a dental post and core or a dental abutment.  The post is needed to be placed inside the dental implant, the hollow screw that replaces the extracted tooth root.  Once the post is in the implant, there is something there to hold the restoration of the dental crown.
3. The third part of the dental implant system is the crown that we see in the mouth.

We are referring to a single dental implant, however, sometimes when dental implants are used to replace many missing teeth with removable restorations, or used to be a foundation for a loose denture, instead of a post, an attachment is placed inside the dental implant to act as an anchor for a denture.
If you’ve asked yourself the question, “What is a dental implant?” and you thought that the answer was the crown of the tooth, you were experiencing a common misunderstanding.  We hope that we’ve cleared up the basics about what a dental implant is.
For information about dental implants and additional dental topics visitwww.TavorminaDentistry.com
Ask a Dentist is written by Tavormina Dentistry where you can schedule complimentary consultations or second opinion visits by calling 973-761-5090.