Despite the remarkable advance of dental care in the last few decades, millions of Americans still suffer tooth loss, due to congenital absence, trauma, dental disease or mechanical failure. Getting dental implants is a great solution for you if you have suffered tooth loss. Here are some questions you may want to ask your dentist about dental implants.

What are Dental Implants?

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a dental implant is a medical device surgically fused with the jaw in order to support artificial teeth such as bridges, crowns, or dentures. In doing so, they restore your ability to chew, while also improving your teeth’s appearance.

Source: FDA

Your dentist will be able to go into greater detail about what a dental implant is. They will address questions about the materials used for your particular dental implant, and the component of the dental implant system.

Your dentist will also be able to tell you how long the procedure will be, and how long it will take to recover.

How Safe is the Procedure?

Dental implants are the gold standard of treatments for tooth loss. It is used to deal with single tooth or multiple-teeth loss.

The failure rate of dental implants is just 5%. That means you have a 95% chance of having a successful dental implant procedure.

Check with your dentist to see if you meet the requirements for a dental implant, the chances are in your favor that the procedure will be a success.

How Long Will It Take to Recover?

Typically, recovery lasts several months. However, your dentist will be able to tell you how long they think you will take based on your profile. A number of factors influence how long recovery takes, namely:

• How many implants you are getting and where they are located
• Your oral hygiene
• Whether or not you smoke
• How long the tooth was missing
• If you need bone grafting or sinus lifting

If you need multiple dental implants, then the recovery process will take longer. This is because your jawbone and gums will have to undergo more stress during the procedure. In terms of location, the bottom jawbone heals faster than the upper jawbone.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

Dental implants are favored because they last for up to 20 years. With oral hygiene, your dental implant will last a long time.

If you visit your dentist regularly, then you will increase your odds of having your dental implant for a long time. Dental implants are a near-permanent solution. 

How Visible Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants look so natural that nobody will be able to tell that you have had dental implant surgery. In some ways, the best dental implants are better than real teeth. With good hygiene, they will decay at a lower rate than your natural teeth, lasting longer and looking better than your natural teeth.

The only way anyone can tell if you have had dental implant surgery is if they take a radiograph of your mouth.