How Does an Implant Compare To a Real Tooth?
Lewiston, ID
 Many of our patients express concerns about dental implants and whether others can tell that their smile is not all natural. These concerns are justifiable, especially because getting dental implants for single or multiple teeth is a process and does require a time investment. The biggest expectation for a return on that investment is a smile that looks natural, where no one can tell the difference. At Oral & Facial Surgery, we offer dental implants for our patients when natural teeth are not an option.
What Are Dental Implants?
Many of our patients choose dental implants over traditional tooth restoration options because the result closely resembles a natural tooth. We tell our patients that the dental implant will look, feel, and function like a real tooth.
Our dental implant procedure makes them acquire the natural feel and look of real teeth. Our dentists will surgically attach a dental implant to the jawbone. The dental implant usually comes in three components: an implant, an abutment, and a crown.
The implant uses titanium because it is the only metal the human body cannot reject. The implant also has a post that is designed to fuse to the jawbone when the healing process begins. The dental implant exists almost as naturally as possible because it fuses to the natural bone to become an implanted anchor for the artificial tooth. The connector (the abutment) holds the artificial tooth in place, and the three components will become an artificial replacement for lost teeth that can perform the same activities as the natural tooth. Each dental implant is designed to resemble your natural teeth closely. Our dentists meticulously match the color of the artificial tooth to your existing teeth, ensuring it is difficult to discern the difference. Patients concerned about the final result have nothing to worry about because a dental implant (the dental crown on top) resembles a natural tooth.
How Does a Dental Implant Compare to a Real Tooth?
For the most part, dental implants are essentially the same as real teeth. The only difference is that real teeth have natural tooth roots, but a dental implant uses a titanium implant post that is surgically inserted into the jawbone.
At our practice, we use titanium to make all of our dental implant posts for two reasons. It is biocompatible and will not irritate the surrounding tissue. It is an important consideration because the healing process of a dental implant usually ends with a permanent bonding between the implant and the jawbone. That makes these implants acquire similar strength to real teeth.
In many instances, dental implants function differently from natural teeth, with implants carrying the award for being functionally stronger than natural teeth. Natural teeth are anchored into the bone by their tooth roots, which are also attached to the gums by ligaments, allowing natural teeth some room for movement. In comparison, dental implants are firmly attached to the jawbone and have no ligaments like natural teeth. Therefore, a dental implant does not move at all. Under these circumstances, the dental implant is considerably stronger than the natural tooth.
Many people tend to assume that they cannot get gum disease as long as they have dental implants. Dental implants and natural teeth require the same care routines, without which you will get gum disease. The only difference is that your teeth move around in the gums, and the dental implants remain firmly fixed to the jaw. However, both dental implants and natural teeth are susceptible to bacterial infection. In our practice, we also advise our patients to undergo bone grafts before they get dental implantations to guarantee that the jawbone is strong enough for implants if we see a lack of bone in the jaw.
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