Dental Implant and Crown Installation

A lost tooth needs immediate replacement, to prevent adjacent teeth from invading the vacant space on the gum line. The teeth surrounding previous location of a lost tooth tend to lean towards the empty space, gradually reducing the chances of tooth replacement through dentures. There are instances when even dentures cannot prevent the surrounding teeth from leaning towards the empty space.

What dentists normally do to address this problem is install an artificial tooth root that can hold the roots of the adjacent anterior teeth. This artificial tooth root is called a dental implant. It is usually made of screw-shaped metal device installed deep into the gum until the head reaches the mandible. In most cases, the mandible or lower jawbone is previously drilled to provide a faster binding between the implant and the bone structure.

This modern restorative technique is quickly becoming popular among many patients. The screw-type surface of the implant allows for the placement of a prosthetic tooth as soon as the gum fully heals. Many dentists in large and progressive cities like Atlanta, Georgia use this technique on their patients.

Once the implant is placed in the jawbone, a dentist in Atlanta, Georgia advises the patient to let the area heal for six months. Some dentists schedule another appointment with the patient as soon as three months pass, to check on the recovery of the gums. There are dentists who choose to place the prosthetic tooth immediately if the gums appear to be fully healed at this stage, but this can compromise the stability of the implant and the prosthesis.

Although installing the dental implant can be complex the dental implant does not resemble the prosthetic tooth that completes the restoration. Despite the presence of a dental implant, the gum surface is left empty without the placement of the prosthetic tooth. A dentist in Atlanta, Georgia can use a crown, a bridge, or dentures as dental prostheses.

A dental crown can be made of composite resin or porcelain substance that closely resembles a natural tooth or of expensive metals such as gold or silver. Installing implant-supported crowns is a relatively expensive method of restorative dentistry Atlanta dentists perform. To get maximize the benefits of the procedure’s costs, many patients choose gold or silver metal crowns for the procedure.