Losing teeth affects your appearance and your self-esteem. Luckily, there's no reason to live with a gap in your smile. Lincoln Park, IL, dentists Dr. Allen Momongan, Dr. Matthew Flak and Dr. Kara Kung at The Dental Practice of Lincoln Park explain how dental implants can restore your missing teeth.

How do dental implants work?

Until dental implants were invented, there was no way to replace an entire tooth. Bridges and dentures replaced the crown, the part of the tooth you see when you smile, but these restorations couldn't replace missing roots.

Dental implants provide the only full tooth replacement option. The implant itself serves as an artificial root. In the 1950s, researchers accidentally discovered that a lightweight metal called titanium bonds to bones. After years of trial and error, the titanium dental implant was perfected as a way to permanently replace missing teeth.

One the implant is placed in the jawbone opening, a bonding process called osseointegration begins. The process can be completed in as little as three months or may take six months or more. When the dental implant osseointegrates completely, an abutment is added. The abutment will support a dental crown, an artificial tooth that looks just like the real thing.

Are dental implants right for me?

When you visit the Lincoln Park office of Drs. Momongan, Flak and Kung, you'll receive a thorough evaluation that will help the dentists determine if implants are a good choice for you. You can receive implants if:

• Your Jawbone is Strong: Dental implants won't work if your jawbone isn't deep enough. If that's the case, bone grafting can be used to improve bone depth before the implant procedure.
• You Have Good Oral and General Health: Your mouth must be free of gum disease and other problems that can decrease the success rate of implants. Good health is also important, as some diseases and conditions that slow healing, such as diabetes, can affect implant success.
• You Don't Smoke or Plan to Stop: Smoking also affects healing and can trigger implant failure.
• You Practice Good Oral Hygiene: Good oral hygiene is necessary to prevent peri-implantitis, an infection that can loosen dental implants.

Ready to find out if dental implants are the right choice for you? Call your Lincoln Park, IL, dentists at The Dental Practice of Lincoln Park at (773) 231-8961 to schedule your appointment.