Dental implants are a good option to replace one or more missing teeth because of an illness or accident. They benefit mainly those people who have lost some dental pieces or who use a removable prosthesis or dentures.
Dental implants are titanium elements (usually in the form of a cylinder or cone) placed surgically in the maxillary bones, fulfilling the function of imitating the roots of the teeth to be replaced.
They improve the appearance of the smile: dental implants look and feel like
their own teeth. Because they are designed to fuse with the bone, they become
permanent pieces.
Speech improvement: Conventional prostheses regularly have a poor placement,
so they usually slip into the mouth, causing abnormal phonetics. Instead,
implants do not move at all.
Ease of eating: unlike prostheses, implants are fixed which makes it easier
to chew food.
Improves self-confidence: implants give you the confidence to show your smile
without fear that the prosthesis will come off.
Improved oral health: Unlike prosthetic bridges, implants do not require wear
of other teeth, which ensures that the other parts remain intact.
Today, with the advancement in the design of dental implants, rejection by
the patient to dental implants is minimal. With proper surgical techniques
and good cleaning, there is no reason for rejection of a dental implant.
However, it is advisable to receive a medical evaluation before scheduling
any surgery.
On the other hand, chronic diseases, such as diabetes or leukemia, can
interfere with healing after surgery, so those with these diseases are not
considered good candidates for implant placement.
If you are a smoker, we recommend you consider this procedure twice,
as the use of tobacco can slow down the regeneration process.
This is because nicotine is a strong vasoconstrictor that limits the blood
supply necessary for the integration of the dental implant into the bone.
In this way, smoking affects the healing and osseointegration of the dental
implant.
