A dental implant is a root replacement for missing teeth. The implant is screwed into the jaw to hold in a place a bridge, a crown or false teeth (dentures).
They were discovered in Sweden about five decades ago and are typically made of titanium.
Titanium is the choice material for implants because of its ability to easily bond with bone, it does not corrode, is very strong and does not cause an adverse reaction in the body that leads to rejection of the implant.
The bonding of the titanium with bone is referred to as osseointegration.
Previously, implants were made of other materials like sapphire.
There are current studies that are looking at using zirconia, which is a ceramic metal, in the making of dental implants mainly because it looks more like a real tooth than titanium.
The titanium used for a dental implant is commercial grade titanium and is in five different forms, depending on its composition.
Most Common Types Of Dental Implant
There are different types of dental implants. They are categorized according to the design.
The most common type of implant is the root form endosseous implant.
It is also called a root form endosteal implant. It is popular because it is the implant that most closely resembles natural teeth.
This type of implant looks like a screw and is placed in the bone.
Another type of implant is the plate or blade form implant.
It is commonly used when there is not enough bone, maybe because the jaw is too narrow, to place a root form implant.
This implant is rectangular and like the root form, is placed in the bone.
Subperiosteal implants are also used but in cases where there is not enough bone depth or width perhaps due to bone loss to use either a root form or a plate form implant.
This type of implant is placed on the jaw bone, under the gums.
Other types of less commonly used implants are intramucosal implants, Ramus-frame implants and transosseous implants.
The type of implant to be used will be determined by the dentist who will carry out an evaluation.
The dentist will most likely be using implants from different dental implant companies but he should be able to recommend the appropriate implant to suit your needs.
