Dental Implants are made up of three parts: The implant itself, the abutment, and the crown. Our Surrey dentists provide a brief overview below of each component.
Implant
The dental implant is the part that is actually implanted in the jaw, and acts as an artificial tooth root. It is a tiny screw that is made of titanium.
Titanium is special in that it is compatible with body tissues. This allows it to can bond with your jaw bone to form a new, stable tooth root.
Abutment
The abutment is most often made of either ceramic or titanium. It anchors the implant to the crown (the artificial tooth), ensuring a secure fit.
Crown
Once your jaw and gum tissues have healed from the implant surgery, and the dental implant and the abutment are firmly in place, the final step is to add a dental crown.
This is an artificial tooth replacement that looks and functions almost exactly like a natural tooth.
In some cases, when an implant is being placed to secure a dental bridge or denture, the crown portion will not necessarily be added.