What's the best thing about dental implants? Is it that they have the same strength and function as a natural tooth (and are the only artificial tooth replacement that can boast this)? Is it that the implant's ceramic false tooth looks indistinguishable from the natural tooth it replaced? As it happens, the design, construction, and placement of your false tooth only partially creates the natural look of the finished product. Dental implants look most natural with some help from your gums.
Implant Surgery
The gum tissues in question are heavily anesthetized during your dental implant surgery. Your dentist needs to make an incision in your gums to access your jaw and insert the small titanium alloy implant into the bone. This incision is made over the peak of the bone, in the empty dental socket that will soon host your replacement tooth.
Preparing the Tissues
The incision splits the gingival tissues in two over the empty dental socket. This contorts the tissues, bunching them together as they accommodate the incision and begin to heal around it. These modifications create a sufficiently thick band of gingival tissues. Once your new false tooth is placed (as soon as your bone has healed around the implant), the gingival tissues will encircle its base.
Masking the Metal
This healthy, sufficiently thick band of gingival tissues will mask the implant's metal components. Although they will also provide limited physical support, the vast majority of an implant's bite force is due to the fact that it's actually placed in your jaw, instead of being placed above your gums (as is the case with dentures and dental bridges). The band of gingival tissues around the base of an implant's tooth is largely of esthetic importance.
Gum Health
Esthetic importance shouldn't be undervalued. You must maintain healthy gums in order to maintain the natural appearance of your dental implant. If any of the tooth's metal base is exposed, it cannot look realistic. Attend your regular checkups for professional dental cleanings. This controls the pathogenic bacteria in your mouth that can trigger gum inflammation (gingivitis). Any form of gum disease that causes recession of your gingival tissues can be disastrous. Maintain the highest possible standard of oral hygiene in order to maintain healthy gums.
Without a suitably thick band of gingival tissues to encircle its base, an implant's false tooth can look rather false. But with healthy gums, the implant's false tooth will continue to look indistinguishable from one that grew naturally from your gums.
Contact a dentist to learn more about dental implants.
Share30 March 2023
Hi, my name is Kevin Nelson and I want to tell you about my experience. I had a painful tooth so I went to see my dentist. After the examination, he said that I needed to have a root canal to save the tooth. I told the dentist to just pull the tooth instead and then he explained why that wasn't a good idea. He said that pulling the tooth would cause additional problems and then he told me what could happen. I didn't want any more problems, so the dentist did the root canal and I'm glad that he did. I wanted to write a blog to tell others about the benefits of a root canal and what to expect during the procedure. I hope that by getting the word out, other people won't make the same mistake that I almost did by getting a perfectly good tooth pulled.