A Parent’s Guide to Emergency Dental Care

Posted on: 22 September 2021

Dental implants utilize dental crowns or dental bridges to restore patients' lost teeth. You can wait as long as you like to get implants, but getting them as soon as possible is often beneficial since dental implants can protect against bone erosion in the jaw. Your dentist can help you choose a type of dental implant for your situation. Here are four types of dental implants that you can choose from:

1. Endosteal Implants

Endosteal implants are the most common types of dental implants. These implants consist of a titanium rod that is screwed into a patient's jawbone through their gum line. Over time, the jaw fuses to the titanium implant, creating a strong bond. Endosteal implants are very sturdy, and people with these implants can feel free to eat whatever they like, including foods like taffy that would be a problem for people with dentures. Endosteal implants are attached to abutments that are used to hold dental crowns in place.

2. Subperiosteal Implants

Subperiosteal implants are designed to curve below a patient's gum line. Unlike endosteal implants, subperiosteal implants sit atop the jawbone. Since the bone itself is not altered, patients usually find that the healing process for subperiosteal implants is faster and less painful. Subperiosteal implants do not require a minimum amount of bone mass, which means that people who would otherwise require a bone graft can skip this additional procedure.

3. Mini Implants

As their name suggests, mini implants are smaller than traditional implants. Like endosteal implants, mini implants extend into the jawbone. Unlike other types of implants, however, mini implants consist of a single piece. Instead of having a prosthetic attached to an abutment, people who receive mini implants will have everything, including the dental crown, installed in their mouth at once. Some people prefer this because it saves them time and money by allowing them to make fewer dental appointments.

4. All-On-Four Implants

All-on-four implants are helpful for people who are missing all or most of their teeth. Instead of attaching each individual dental crown to its own implant, dentists who perform all-on-four procedures instead utilize dental bridges. During this procedure, your dentist will place four dental implants in your mouth, two on the bottom and two on the top. Once your implants have fully healed, they will attach modular dental bridges to each of these implants, allowing you to restore all of your missing teeth with minimal pain and invasiveness.