Dental implants are today's solution to provide a strong and durable foundation for replacement teeth, fixed or removable, for those that were lost due to aging, decay and other factors.
These are roots fused with the bone and, as soon as the surgery wound is healed, the new root becomes permanent.
Among the immediate and obvious benefits once the replacement root and teeth are set are the comfort and improved appearance of the wearer.
Other advantages after the surgery include better speech and eating habits.
Traditional false teeth often feel as if they're going to fall off every time you open your mouth to talk or eat.
Sometimes, ill-fitting dentures do feel loose and make you want to hang on to them by not opening your mouth well.
Chewing also causes pain in some cases with regular dentures.
Replacement roots through dental implants remedy these problems.
Deeper problems are also solved by having replacement roots, which doesn't require any tooth reduction.
This procedure, in effect, lets you save more teeth and have easier access between your teeth when brushing, flossing and doing other oral hygiene procedures.
Your self-esteem also improves since you're not anymore embarrassed or insecure about having the usual false teeth or dentures.
These implants are meant to last even for over 40 years or so.
This is why some even call them permanent replacement roots.
However, you can only maximize its benefits if you observe proper oral hygiene and maintenance after the procedure.
Following your initial surgery, you may feel some discomfort and even experience swelling of gums, minor bleeding and bruising.
Make sure you take only the pain reliever or medication prescribed by your dentist, if there were any given.
Before the crown or cap will be set on your implant, you have to wait for about 6 months so the surgery will have healed properly.
Once the procedure is completed with the setting of the crown on your implant, you need to visit your dentist who'd need to check up the progress of the treatment.
You'd be asked to go on a soft diet for up to about a week after your surgery to avoid damaging the work done on your teeth.
Lastly, you have to follow proper oral hygiene procedures everyday to keep your dental implants, crowns and original teeth healthy.
If you don't observe correct maintenance of your teeth and implants, infection may even set in and the implants definitely won't last.