Teeth implants are permanent. After all, the implanted section of the device (a small titanium alloy screw) is actually inserted into your jaw so that it can fuse to the bone. Once enough time has gone by for this fusing to happen (a process called osseointegration), the implant's false tooth can be added. The titanium alloy screw in your jaw is permanent, but the tooth attached to it doesn't have to be. And yet, why would someone want to change their implant's false tooth?
Damage
You'll want to have your implant's false tooth replaced if it becomes physically damaged; however, small chips and cracks don't always lead to mandatory replacement. These imperfections can often be patched as they would in a natural tooth using tooth-coloured dental resin, and the false tooth may not have to be removed for these repairs. Deeper cracks can lead to the false tooth detaching from the implant, so this type of damage is usually corrected by replacing the tooth.
Discolouration
Your false tooth is ceramic, and its colour was chosen to match the rest of your teeth. Ceramic surfaces are porous, although not as porous as the dental enamel that coats your teeth. It's also less porous than some other materials used for dental restorations, such as acrylics. Over time, your ceramic false tooth will slowly begin to discolour. This process can be further slowed by practising a high standard of oral hygiene and by attending your regular dental checkups. But at some point, you may opt to replace your implant's false tooth after it has become discoloured and no longer matches your natural dental enamel.
Whitening
As mentioned before, your implant's false tooth was selected to match the colour of the rest of your teeth. Apart from the effects of gradual discolouration, this colour is fixed, unless you don't want it to be. You may decide to whiten your teeth, and this can lead to a colour mismatch between your natural dental enamel and your implant's false tooth. The false tooth will need to be upgraded to match your newly whitened teeth. You will then have to maintain that level of whiteness to prevent another mismatch in the future.
Although most people who receive teeth implants may have no intention of changing the implant's false tooth, there are limited circumstances when it can be necessary. There's some cost involved in this type of replacement, but it's not a complex task to achieve.
For more information about teeth implants, contact a local service.