What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are titanium or ceramic posts inserted into your jawbone to hold artificial teeth. They act like the roots of your natural teeth to provide a strong foundation for fixed (permanent) or removable replacement teeth that are made to match your natural teeth.

Dental implants vs. dentures

Dental implants are usually titanium posts that are permanently inserted into your jaw. They’re like artificial roots that make a base onto which your dentist can attach a replacement tooth. On the other hand, dentures are substitutes for your teeth instead of replacements. Dentures are usually made of metal, acrylic, or nylon plates and porcelain teeth. They’re removable and generally sit on top of your gums.

Types of Dental Implants

There are a couple of different types of implants that differ in how they are attached to your jawbone.

The two types are:

• Endosteal implant. This is the most common type. It usually looks like a screw, cylinder, or blade that is implanted in your jawbone during surgery. Each of these implants can hold one or more prosthetic teeth. This is a good option for people who already have bridges or removable dentures.
• Subperiosteal implant. This is placed on top of the jaw, with posts from a metal framework sticking out through your gum to hold your prosthetic teeth. This is a good option for people who can’t wear removable dentures or don’t have enough bone in their jaw to hold an endosteal implant.