Dental implants and periodontics are two specialties of dentistry field that often work together. Maintaining your smile’s health and aesthetic appeal requires both of these procedures. Dental implants replace lost teeth with artificial ones, whereas periodontics treats conditions affecting the gums and bone. Combined, they can enhance your oral health and help you restore your smile.
Let’s explore these two procedures to fix your missing teeth.
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are artificial teeth inserted straight into the jawbone to replace lost teeth. They consist of three components: the crown, which is the visible portion of the prosthetic tooth that resembles a natural tooth in appearance and function; the abutment, which joins the implant to the crown; and the implant, which is a tiny metal post that serves as the tooth’s root.
Furthermore, dental implant surgery provides a long-lasting, aesthetically pleasing replacement for lost teeth, making them an excellent substitute for conventional bridges or dentures. With the right maintenance, this surgery is incredibly durable and can endure for many years.
Overall, it offers a reliable, long-lasting replacement for lost teeth that can significantly enhance your smile’s functionality and look.
What are periodontics?
Periodontics is a specialty of dentistry that focuses on preventing, diagnosing, and treating gum disease. Plaque and bacteria accumulation on the teeth and gums causes periodontal disease, which manifests as infection, edema, and inflammation. If left untreated, periodontal disease can result in tooth loss, major health issues, and much more.
Periodontists are experts in maintaining the health of the periodontium, which comprises the gums, bone, and connective tissues that support your teeth. To control periodontal disease, they use a range of periodontal treatments, including surgical procedures, antibiotics, and scaling and root planing (deep cleaning). To offer complete patient treatment, they may collaborate with other dental professionals, including prosthodontists and orthodontists.
For this reason, you should contact a certified periodontist immediately to get treatment for periodontal disease if you suffer from bleeding gums, foul breath, or loose teeth. Early treatment can reverse the disease’s effects and help stop additional harm to your teeth and gums.
How do periodontics and dental implants work together?
This combination effectively restores oral health and improves your smile. Your periodontist and dentist can collaborate to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that includes dental implants for gum disease.
Your gum disease, which can lead to bone loss and compromise the integrity of your teeth, will be treated first by your periodontist. To get rid of unhealthy tissue and encourage the growth of healthy gums, they may suggest extensive cleaning, scaling, root planing, or gum surgery.
After the control of your gum disease, your dentist will start the implant placement procedure. Dental implants are titanium-based artificial tooth roots surgically inserted into your jawbone. They can serve as a strong and dependable base for dental replacements such as crowns, bridges, and dentures, among other things.
Your dentist will drill a tiny hole in your jawbone and insert the implant into it during the dental implant surgery. As time passes, the implant and bone fuse to form a solid relationship that closely resembles the structure of your teeth.
After this implant has fused with your bone, your dentist will attach a small post called an abutment. This acts as a link between your replacement tooth and the implant.
Lastly, your dentist will design a crown or bridge—a bespoke replacement tooth—with the same color and shape as your natural teeth. They will affix the new tooth to the abutment to complete the implant procedure.
