You may think that your teeth are fixed firmly in your jaw, but even when they’re healthy, they actually have a little bit of play that can help cushion excessive bite forces. Now researchers in Romania have designed a dental implant that mimics that natural tooth movement to potentially improve the comfort and durability of dental implants.
Natural Tooth Mobility
Most people are probably surprised to know that teeth mobility is a good thing, because we’re used to being told that if our teeth are moving it’s a sign that we’re suffering from gum disease or other oral health problems.
However, your natural teeth are supposed to have a little bit of give in them. Your teeth aren’t actually anchored directly in the bone the way dental implants are. Instead, they’re secured by periodontal ligaments, then encased in the bone. This gives them a tiny bit of give, about 1/100th of an inch in healthy teeth.
That tiny bit of give, though, can be incredibly important. It helps your teeth respond to some of the tremendous force that they are subjected to, and it helps reduce the long-term wear your teeth will suffer. It also protects your jawbone from the same stresses.
Designing a Mobile Dental Implant
Looking at the natural tooth design, it’s clear that there are many benefits of having a little bit of give in your teeth. As a result, there have been several attempts to make dental implants that also have a little bit of mobility in them. The goal is to improve dental implants even more and extend their already long life.
The most recent attempt comes from researchers in the Romanian town of Cluj, whose dental implant has a titanium shell similar to traditional dental implants. It is intended that this shell should be completely integrated into the bone the way current dental implants are. Inside that, though, there is an elastic material that allows the dental crown atop the implant to move a little bit.
The concept is interesting, but it’s a long way from being available. We will watch this new development with interest and see if it really does live up to its promise of giving even more natural and long-lasting dental implant results.
If you want to learn more about the technology available today to give you the best dental implants, please call (912) 234-8282 for an appointment with a Savannah cosmetic dentist at Beyond Exceptional Dentistry today.
