A dental implant is a "root" device, usually made of titanium, used in dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth to replace missing teeth. A typical implant consists of a titanium screw (resembling a tooth root) with a roughened or smooth surface. The majority of dental implants are made out of commercially pure titanium, which is available in 4 grades depending upon the amount of carbon and iron contained.
There are various dental clinics that provide Pain-Free Dental Implants in Bankstown, Sydney.
They are used for the support and retention of dentures, fixed bridgework, and the replacement of one or more missing teeth.
Virtually all dental implants placed today are root-form endosseous implants, i.e., they appear similar to an actual tooth root (and thus possess a "root-form"). They are placed within the jaw bone and become attached to the surrounding jaw bone. The bone of the jaw accepts and osseointegrates with the titanium post.
Osseointegration refers to the fusion of the implant surface with the surrounding bone. Dental implants will fuse with bone, however, they lack the periodontal ligament, so they will feel slightly different than natural teeth do during chewing functions.
The implants remain rigid rather than have some flexibility that natural teeth have because they are attached individually to a periodontal ligament.
Prior to the advent of root-form endosseous implants, most implants were either blade endosseous implants, in that the shape of the metal piece placed within the bone resembled a flat blade, or sub-periosteal implants, in which a framework was constructed to lie upon and was attached with screws to the exposed bone of the jaws.