Today, however, your dentist may suggest dental implants. First developed in Sweden in the 1960s and made available in the United States in the 1980s, dental implants are an accepted alternative to traditional dentures and bridge work. Dental implants are metal posts surgically placed in the jaw underneath the gum tissue. The process of the jawbone fusing with a dental implant is called osseointegration. Dental implants are useful for patients who cannot tolerate standard dentures for physical or emotional reasons.
Patients have enough dense jawbone in which to secure the implants.
Patients do not have a medical condition, such as uncontrolled diabetes, that may interfere with recovery after implant surgery. Patients are no longer actively growing. Patients do not smoke. Dental implants serve as solid and permanent posts upon which artificial teeth are mounted. They represent a convenient and safe alternative to bridges and dentures.