Today, dental implants have become one of the most useful tools for those who have missing teeth and other such problems. But from what we know of, are there any types of implants used to give us those pearly white smiles we deserve? From what we have researched, we’ve discovered more than one type of dental implants that exist today.

A common component of these dental implants is titanium. Titanium is a metal that has special qualities that makes it very useful and ideal for dental implants. Titanium develops a thin film on the surface that protects it from erosion. It is resistant to acids, oxygen and salt solutions. But what makes titanium unique from other metals is that the human body does not reject it as a foreign object.

These are the several types of dental implants which you can discuss with your dentist:

Root Form Implant – the most popular of all dental implants. These implants are placed in the bone. Its physical appearance looks like that of a screw or nail. The bone should be wide enough for the root form implant to be successful and that it needs a proper and secure foundation. The dentist will then place a crown, bridge, or denture on top of the implant.

Ramus-Frame Implant – this type of dental implant can be used when the lower jaw bone is not fit enough as a foundation for the implant or the jawbone is weak. A Ramus-frame implant is implanted on the jawbone through the back part of the mouth and near the chin. It would look like a thin metal bar and is visible at the top of the gum. After the process, the dentures can now be embedded. The implant also strengthens the weak lower jaw bone and protects them from fractures.

Transosseous Implant – This type of dental implant was used for people who have little jaw bone or who have no bottom row of teeth. But with today’s situation, most patients prefer other implants than the transosseous implants since this requires extensive surgery, anesthesia, and hospitalization therefore increasing the overall cost of the procedure. Most practitioners prefer bone grafts and other implant methods because they are more effective.

Blade-Form Implant – also known as the plate-form dental implant. This type of endosseous implant is placed in the bone together with metals shaped like flat rectangles with one or two metal prongs on one side. The implant is then placed at the jaw where the prongs will stick out and the practitioner would later embed crowns and bridges onto it.

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