A broken or missing tooth can compromise your oral health. You may find it more challenging to eat and speak normally. You also may feel less confident in the way that you look. You can restore your mouth's appearance and health by getting a professionally designed tooth implant.

Mouth Molds

Before you can get dental implants, you first must have molds of your mouth made. Your dentist might make these molds in his or her office. He or she may also refer you to a dental lab that can make the molds for you.

The process of getting molds of your mouth made is not time consuming or painful. You bite into trays of dental porcelain that is then allowed to dry and harden. Your dentist uses those molds to make implants that will fit securely and naturally into the spaces left by your missing teeth.

Stud Implant

The next step of getting a tooth implant involves having the stud on which it will be attached implanted into your jaw and gums. Your dentist will need to make sure that you have enough bone in your jaw and tissue in your gum in which to implant this stud. If you lack enough of either, you could be required to undergo a procedure to add more bone and density to your jawline. 

Once the stud is implanted, it will need to heal before it can support the weight of the implant. The dental implant services provider that you go to may recommend that you wait two to three weeks, if not longer, to give the stud time to heal and solidify in your gum. Once the implant has healed and set up, the next part of the implant process can begin.

Implant Placement

The last part of the implants process involves placing the dental implants in place. Your dentist will carefully attach the tooth implant on the stud. He or she will recommend that you avoid eating crunch, chewy, or sticky food for several months to allow the implant time to set in place in your mouth. You can then eat, talk, and smile normally. Your new implant will look and function like a natural tooth.

A tooth implant can restore your mouth's natural appearance and function. You can get dental implants from an experienced dental implants services provider. It can take several weeks or months to complete the implants process.

For more information on dental implants, reach out to a local dentist.