Page 38 - Amazing Smiles

CHAPTER THREE figure 37

If there is sufficient bone where a tooth
is missing, a dental implant is the restoration of
choice. (figure 37).

Dental implants are metallic cylinders (like a
wide screw) that are placed directly into the bone
where the lost tooth root once was. The implant
fuses to the surrounding bone by a process called
osseointegration. This process can take from four
to six months. When the implant finally osseoin-
tegrates, a post (called an abutment) is placed into
the dental implant. A crown is then placed on top
of the implant permanently, replacing the missing
tooth (figure 38)

When all the teeth are missing in one arch,
the patient may choose between having their
teeth replaced with multiple dental implants,
which are covered with either porcelain fused to
metal crowns or plastic crowns fixed to a metallic
frame (figure 38B).

figure 38b figure 38

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