When Steve Hornby was 15, he cracked 4 of his top teeth in a car accident. In tremendous pain and horrified at his broken smile, he had 4 crowns installed over what was left of his natural teeth. He wasn’t happy with how they looked or felt, but family members assured him they looked fine. The crowns were only expected to last 10 years, but he managed to make them last for double that amount of time.

Then they started causing problems – crowns broke off and Steve superglued them back on; abscesses form and penicillin and root canals didn’t help. Dentures weren’t an option Steve wanted to take, so he lived with the constant pain from abscesses, until he discovered another possible option: dental implants.

Dental implants work by drilling titanium screws into the jawbone. New porcelain teeth are attached to the screws. Dental implants can last for decades, but are quite expensive. Steve decided to have the procedure. When his oral surgeon extracted the damaged teeth, Steve felt no pain. The entire process lasted less than an hour; after the drugs wore off, Steve says he felt like he had a bad toothache. The surgeon sent him home with a prescription to help manage the pain and a temporary denture to wear until the new porcelain teeth were placed.

Once the screws were firmly bonded with Steve’s own jawbone, his surgeon made an impression of Steve’s jaw so he could make the supportive posts for the new porcelain teeth. The new teeth would then be screwed onto the implants. The entire process took several months from start to finish, but in the end, Steve was thrilled to be able to eat some of his favorite foods, like steak and raw carrots, without worrying about his teeth.

Dental implants are appropriate for most people. Other options include partial or full dentures, bridgework, or porcelain crowns. Dental implants have been in use since the 1960s but improvements in recent years make them a more viable option than ever before. Crowns can fracture and root canals can form abscesses, such as happened with Steve, but dental implants heal quickly and can be the best way of getting an artificial tooth with the look and feel of a natural tooth.

Dental implants are expensive, but many patients find them well worth the cost. However, it is important for patients to understand the risks of dental implants as well. Patients need to have suitably healthy gums and enough bone mass to support the implants. Smokers should not get dental implants, nor should those who have uncontrolled diabetes. If dental implants are properly cared for, they can last for decades.