Types of Dental Implants: Exploring Your Tooth Replacement Options
When it comes to replacing missing teeth and restoring your smile, dental implants are a highly effective and long-term solution. Dental implants act as tooth root replacements, providing a stable foundation for dental prosthetics such as single teeth, bridges, or dentures. They offer a natural look and feel, improve oral function, and help maintain overall oral health.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the four different types of dental implants available: single tooth implants, implant-supported bridges, implant-supported dentures, and full mouth implants.
1. Single Tooth Implants
If you’re missing one tooth, a single tooth implant can be inserted in place of your natural tooth root.
A single tooth implant is a freestanding replacement for a single missing tooth. It consists of a crown, which is the visible part of the tooth, attached to a dental implant that is surgically placed in the jawbone.
Single tooth implants offer several advantages over traditional tooth-bonded bridges. Unlike bridges, single tooth implants do not require adjacent teeth to be reshaped or “ground down” for support. This preserves the integrity of the surrounding teeth.
Single tooth implants also look and feel like natural teeth, providing a seamless and comfortable fit. With proper care, single tooth implants can last a lifetime.
2. Implant-Supported Bridges
If a few of your adjacent teeth are missing or badly damaged, multiple dental implants may be placed to support a dental bridge.
Unlike traditional bridges that rely on adjacent teeth for support, implant-supported bridges are anchored by dental implants. This eliminates the need for reshaping healthy teeth and provides a more stable and durable solution.
Implant-supported bridges look and function like natural teeth, restoring your ability to chew and speak with confidence. They also help preserve jawbone volume and prevent further bone loss. By distributing the bite force across the implants, implant-supported bridges offer enhanced stability and longevity.
The result is a more convenient, fixed, aesthetic solution that enhances your quality of life while keeping your teeth healthy.
3. Implant-Supported Dentures
You can now avoid the hassle associated with removable dentures through the use of implant-supported overdentures.
Implant-supported dentures offer a secure and comfortable alternative to traditional removable dentures. These dentures are supported by dental implants, providing a stable foundation that eliminates the need for adhesives or worries about slippage.
Fixed implant-supported dentures are permanently attached to 2-4 tooth implants, rather than being supported by gums alone. This offers the highest level of stability and functionality and a simple solution for those who wish to improve their chewing ability and enjoy a better quality of life.
4. Full Mouth Implants (All on 4 Plus)
If all your teeth in the upper or lower jaw are lost, and you don’t want to wear a complete removable denture, you might consider having an implant-retained complete denture.
Full mouth