When people talk about  getting a dental implant, they generally think of getting a brand new tooth in their mouth.  While you do get a new tooth, that tooth is not actually referred to as the dental implant — the dental implant is actually the part that is anchored into your bone and holds onto the tooth.

Many dental offices charge a fee for each part of a dental implant, so it’s important to be informed about the cost of the total procedure before getting a dental implant.

Dental implants are made up of three main parts: the implant, the abutment, and the crown.  Below you’ll find a brief description of each part.

Parts of a Dental Implant

The Implant

The actual dental implant is placed down in your jawbone.  It is made of titanium, a metal that easily integrates with your existing bone so that it is anchored firmly in your jaw.

The Abutment

The abutment is the connector between the fake tooth and the implant that is anchored in your jaw.  It is usually screwed into the implant.

The Crown

The crown is the portion of the dental implant that you see inside of your mouth.  It attached to the abutment by either a screw or using a strong cement.

Questions About The Parts of a Dental Implant

Hopefully this article helped you understand dental implants a little bit better.

Do you have any questions, comments, or concerns about what makes up a dental implant?  Feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below.  Thanks for reading!

Many teenagers lose their teeth due to various accidents and are unable to save their knocked out teeth by re-implanting them.  In order to minimize bone loss, a dental implant is usually the ideal treatment.

An expert in dental implants at my dental school has called dental implants the standard of care when it comes to replacing missing teeth.

Unfortunately, dental implants can only be placed after the jaw has finished growing.  If a dental implant is placed before a child’s jaw has finished growing, then it may impede jaw growth and stop other teeth from growing into their natural positions.

Since dental implants are placed directly into bone, they don’t move very easily.  Natural teeth are able to move because they have a living, functioning periodontal ligament, which dental implants lack.

What Is The Minimum Age to Get Dental Implants?

A few weeks ago, the associate dean at our dental school was giving us a lecture about tooth trauma in adolescents.  He told us that you want to wait until the following ages to get dental implants:

• Boys: At least 17 years old
• Girls: At least 14-15 years old

By these ages, the jaw has grown to the point where dental implants shouldn’t adversely affect future growth.

How To Replace Missing Teeth Until Dental Implants Can Be Placed

Not many pre-teens and teenagers want to walk around with a missing tooth.  They could face social isolation due to their “abnormality.” So what can be done to replace the tooth until the child is old enough to have a dental implant placed?

Usually the dentist will be able to make a denture consisting of just one tooth that can fill in the area where the lost tooth used to be.  Then, once jaw growth is completed, the dentist can make place a dental implant to replace the missing tooth.

Do you have any questions or comments about traumatic tooth loss?  Leave them in the comments below!