What is an implant?

There are a wide variety of types of dental implants. Today, those in most common use are similar to a screw; the implant is tightly screwed into a hole which we prepare in the bone of the jaw.

Just as a screw placed in a wall may be used to support a myriad of devices for many different purposes, we can use dental implants that have been place in the jaws in a plethora of ways:

-as abutments which serve, just like prepared natural teeth, to hold crowns and bridges

-to hold ball-snap or bar and clip attachments which serve to provide retention for removable full and partial dentures, thus making them more stable, providing better chewing efficiency, and greatly increasing confidence of the patient

-as temporary points of anchorage for orthodontic appliances to straighten crooked teeth, affording a higher degree of control to the orthodontist in applicable cases

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