dental implant

What are the parts?

Titanium is the usual material because bone accepts its surface oxide layer without walling it off. Ceramic implants made of zirconia are also used, mainly where the color of metal at the gum line matters or where a patient prefers to avoid metal.

What is osseointegration, and why does it take months?

Placing the fixture injures the bone around it, and the healing that follows lays down new bone directly against the implant surface rather than a layer of fibrous scar. That contact is what makes the implant stable, and it needs months rather than weeks because new bone must be deposited and then remodeled into mature, load-bearing bone. The result differs from a natural tooth in one important way: a real tooth is slung in its socket by the periodontal ligament, a thin layer of fibers that cushions pressure and carries the nerves reporting how hard the tooth is being pressed. An implant has no ligament. It transmits force straight into bone, cannot be moved by orthodontic pressure, and gives less feedback about bite force, which is why the bite is adjusted carefully when the restoration is fitted.

How does it compare with a bridge or a denture?

A conventional bridge spans the gap by resting on the teeth either side, which requires those teeth to be reduced and links their fate to the restoration. A denture rests on the gum and is removed for cleaning. An implant is fixed, stands alone, and preserves the neighboring teeth, though it needs surgery and a longer timescale. Because it depends on bone, the amount and quality of available bone is assessed first, and low bone density, active gum disease, smoking, poorly controlled diabetes and some bone-modifying medicines all bear on how well the bone will accept it. Once in place, an implant cannot decay, but the gum and bone around it can become inflamed in a condition called peri-implantitis, so hygiene around the post determines how long it lasts.