Dental implants take the place of missing teeth. These replacements are comprised of three parts:
- Crown: The tooth-like part of the implant, usually made of ceramic material, designed to look like a natural tooth.
- Connector: Sometimes this may be called an “abutment,” the connector is used to secure the tooth-like crown of the implant to its base, and the shape is hexagonal or octagonal often.
- Base: A titanium screw that fuses with natural bone to provide a safe, stable base.
Oral surgery is required in then dental implant process, and is performed when the patient is numb which done by using local anaesthetic . In the surgery process the dentist will drill a hole in the jawbone and then carefully screw the base (implant screw) onto the bone. The gum is then placed over the implant so that it can heal.
Once the base of the implant has healed enough, the second surgery appointment is to fit the connector into the top of the implant.
Finally, the crown is attached to the connector with a special dental cement and a small screw.
How Dental Implants Work