Restoring Dental Implants With Dental Crowns

Dental crowns are often combined with implants to replace missing teeth. Implants are metal posts that are placed in the jaw to replace lost teeth roots, and they serve as foundations for restorations like crowns, bridges, and dentures used to replace missing teeth.

Implants are commonly made with titanium, and they are meant to last the rest of a patient's life once inserted into the jaw. However, the restorations placed on implants are not as durable as they are, so they will eventually need to be replaced.

Using dental crowns to restore implants

Placing dental implants requires oral surgery, but the procedure typically only needs to be done once since implants last a lifetime. The installation procedure often involves patients being injected with a local anesthetic and an incision being made into gum tissues to reach the jawbone.

A hole is made where the implant goes with a dental drill, and the restoration is shoved inside until traction forces hold it in place. The implant fuses with bone tissues over the next six months, becoming part of the jawbone.

Once installed, dentists can cement or screw an implant crown on an abutment that is used to secure the crown to the implant. Dental crowns can last up to 20 years, and replacing them does not require any additional surgery.

The process

Patients are advised to seek dental care immediately if they notice a crown is compromised or damaged. Restoring the implant involves removing the damaged crown and cleaning the abutment. The replacement implant crown is then cemented or screwed on the implant to restore the appearance of the patient’s teeth. In some cases, the patient might have to settle for a temporary crown while a custom replacement is being made in a dental lab. The finished restoration should be ready within two weeks in such cases.

Some of the benefits of restoring implants with dental crowns include:

• Keeps the jawbone healthy: One of the main selling points of implants is how they prevent the bone tissue loss that usually occurs when teeth fall out. Implants become part of the jawbone, so they transfer bite forces into the jaw, giving bone tissues there the stimulus they need to remain healthy. Replacing a damaged implant crown ensures the implant continues to serve its role
• Provides excellent stability: Implants become part of a patient’s jaw through a process called osseointegration, and crowns placed on them enjoy virtually as much stability as real teeth. Those who opt for implants do not have to constantly worry about their artificial teeth falling out of their mouths, as is often the case with dentures
• Does not require special maintenance: Implants are one of the most durable restorations used in dentistry, and they do not require any special care. Brushing, flossing, and avoiding hard foods that can damage implant crowns are all that is required to get the most out of implants