Is getting zirconia implants on your bucket list this year?
If yes, you’ve truly gotten your priorities right – zirconia dental implants would prove to be a great investment in your dental health, and you’ll see it paying off beautifully for years to come. If not, then this is a sign for you to know more about zirconia implants!
Many people seek permanent teeth replacement but get discouraged because they assume there are not many options besides the traditional metallic implants (which are super durable and great but aren’t preferred by everyone because of their unnatural look). Zirconia teeth implants provide a more natural-looking and aesthetically pleasing alternative for such people while also ensuring durability – ticking all the right boxes!
In this blog, we’ll discuss zirconia implants, shedding light on why they could be the best alternative for your teeth replacement.
What Are Dental Implants?
Have you ever seen someone wearing permanent dentures – dentures that seem to be connected to small, cylindrical metal pieces embedded into the gums? These metal pieces actually are dental implants, and they form the foundation of all ‘permanent’ teeth replacement treatments.
Basically, dental implants are screw-shaped fixtures designed to support different types of dental prostheses (artificial teeth), including crowns, bridges and dentures. Implants make up the core of such ‘fixed’ dental prostheses, providing them with the consistent support, strength and stability required for them to function like natural teeth.
The rationale behind the creation of implants is to provide substitutes for missing tooth roots, which, when surgically inserted into the patient’s jawbone, would serve as sturdy attachment sites for artificial teeth. As such, implants essentially behave like ‘artificial tooth roots’ for your new teeth – giving your new teeth a strong and stable foundation to attach onto and securely anchoring them to the jawbone.
Hence, these artificial tooth roots work in conjunction with artificial teeth to give you a holistic and comprehensive replacement for your lost teeth.
What Are Zirconia Implants, And When Did They Get So Popular?
Dental implants are not a recent development in restorative dentistry – they have been around for decades, helping restore millions of edentulous people’s teeth all around the globe.
However, they haven’t always been as efficient as they are now – it took many years of thankless effort (and the blood and sweat of restorative dentists) to bring dental implants into their current shape and function.
One thing that’s of prime importance in the progressive evolution of implants is their ‘material’. Dentists have been continually experimenting with various implant materials to bring out the best results; they tested minerals, rocks, alloys and whatnot for the manufacturing of implants- until they found ‘Titanium’ (a strong biocompatible metal) to be the perfect candidate.
Titanium’s durability and biocompatibility made it the gold standard for implants since the 1960s until recently, another non-metallic contender – ‘Zirconia’ – came into the picture and dethroned Titanium as the most popular implant material!
Zirconia implants quickly got popularized and there was a considerable shift in people’s preferences as they began to choose Zirconia over Titanium as their implant material, and the trend is still continuing.
How Are Zirconia Implants Better Than Other Implant Materials?
Today, zirconia implants are regularly preferred by people who may not find titanium implants an ideal fit for themselves (for whatever reasons). However, there are some common reasons why people may prefer Zirconia implants over Titanium ones. These include:
Superior Aesthetics
Zirconia is a tooth-colored material (as it’s a type of ceramic) and hence offers a more natural looking and aesthetically pleasing alternative to Titanium (which is a metal and hence has a metallic color). This is a huge positive aspect for people who have reservations about the unnatural colour of Titanium.
A lot of these people have gum recession and are concerned about Titanium reflecting through their receding gums, which would obviously impact the appearance of their smile and impede their confidence.
Zirconia implants (especially if they’re paired up with a zirconia prosthesis) provide exceptional uniformity and balance to your new smile, as both the implants and the prosthesis blend perfectly into each other due to the similarity in colour. This level of aesthetic perfection is demanded (and is also deserved) by people who invest their hard-earned money in permanent restorative treatments.
Healthier Alternative
Besides the aesthetic reservations, some people also have health-related concerns about titanium implants (as Titanium may cause adverse reactions in people who have metal allergies or sensitivities, though that’s a rare occurrence rather than a norm). Zirconia is biocompatible in addition to being non-metal, so it presents a safer and healthier alternative for people who might have such allergies.
The health benefits of Zirconia don’t end here. There are a couple of other factors that add to Zirconia’s status as a health-friendly implant material.
One such factor is its low plaque affinity. Zirconia naturally has such a smooth surface and texture that resists the accumulation of dental plaque (a sticky film consisting of food particles and bacteria that causes gum disease and decay). This plaque resistance is ideal for patients who have faced gum issues in the past or already suffer from them, as it keeps the issues from worsening.
Strong And Durable
Zirconia doesn’t only do well in terms of aesthetics and health safety – it’s equally well-performing when it comes to durability. While it may not match up to the rock-solid hardness of Titanium (as it’s essentially a non-metal), it’s sturdy enough to tolerate the harsh mechanical forces of the oral environment.
Moreover, Zirconia is pretty resistant to corrosion (thanks to its inorganic, non-metallic composition that makes it chemically stable and non-reactive to surrounding environmental agents).
This means that the implants would be resistant to oxidation and other chemical reactions that cause corrosion; they also won’t have a negative interaction with the electrolytes and ions present in the saliva and blood.
Conclusion
Zirconia implants are a great alternative for people who are looking for a more natural and aesthetically pleasing implant material. With their commendable durability and unique health benefits adding to their aesthetic value, Zirconia implants are sure to become the future of implant dentistry.
To know more about zirconia implants, schedule a FREE consultation with Jacksonville Implant Clinic, a premium dental practice located in Jacksonville, Florida. Talk to our team of implant experts to explore your best option for a healthy and beautiful smile!
