What are dental implants?
Dental implants are substitutes for the roots of missing teeth. They act as an anchor for a replacement tooth or crown or a set of replacement teeth.
Dental implants are so natural-looking and feeling, you may forget you ever lost a tooth.You know that your confidence about your teeth affects how you feel about yourself, both personally and professionally. Perhaps you hide your smile because of spaces from missing teeth. Maybe your dentures don't feel secure. Perhaps you have difficulty chewing. If you are missing one or more teeth and would like to smile, speak and eat again with comfort and confidence, there is good news! Dental implants are teeth that can look and feel just like your own! Under proper conditions, and diligent patient maintenance, implants can last a lifetime. Long-term studies continue to show improving success rates for implants.
Following the work and publications of the Swede P.I. Brånemark in the 1970-80s, dental implantology has become a discipline wholly separate from dentistry. It aims to replace one or several missing teeth by inserting one or more artificial roots in the bone on which the prosthesis is fixed. This operation, apart from esthetic replacement of one or several missing teeth and offering a more comfortable solution and alternative to moveable appliances, may also be used in orthodontics as an anchorage point. The implant then acts as an anchorage point to replace one or several teeth. In some people who have no teeth, a moveable prosthesis can also be stabilized by surgically inserting two implants.
What Dental Implants Can Do?
- Replace one or more teeth without affecting bordering teeth
- Support a bridge and eliminate the need for a removable partial denture
- Provide support for a denture, making it more secure and comfortable
Am I a candidate for implants?
Implant patients are of all ages and implants may be the right choice for anyone missing one or more teeth due to injury, disease or decay. They are especially practical for patients who can no longer wear removable dentures. Your dentist can determine if you are a candidate for dental implants after a careful evaluation of your dental and medical history.The main condition is to have the bone in good condition. Some contraindications should be noted: patients with heart disease, renal failure, smoking, hypertension, and uncontrolled diabetes.
Are there different kinds of implants?
There are many shapes, sizes and brands of implants available. Your implant dentist will know which implant is the right one for you.
Do I have enough bone?
It is important for a patient to have enough bone to support the implant. If you do not have enough bone, there are many safe and effective ways to correct bone deficiency. Your dentist will assess this and advise you if additional bone material is needed.
Will this take a long time?
Treatment time can vary greatly depending on your needs. Each situation needs a separate evaluation; your dentist will be able to give you an approximate timetable.
Whom should I consult for my implant treatment?
Your general dentist is your first resource for this service. The key is the implant dentist's training, experience and credentials.
Dental Implants for Tooth Replacement
Your teeth were designed to last a lifetime, but sometimes they don't! Replacing missing teeth is important to your general health and to the health of your other teeth. Not only do you lose chewing ability when a tooth is lost, but unreplaced teeth can cause other teeth to be lost, tipped or crowded and create subsequent problems. Also, there are the obvious problems of poor appearance and loss of self-esteem caused by one or more missing teeth.
Dental implants should always be considered as an option to replace a failing or missing tooth. Replacement of lost teeth with dental implants has been used for treating missing teeth for more than 50 years and is recognized as an effective treatment choice. Treatment is considered more predictable than bridgework, resin bonded bridges and endodontic treatment.
What is involved in placing implants
To summarize, the operation is carried out in three stages :
- The practitioner makes an incision in the gingiva and prepares the bone cavity bone to insert the implant (artificial titanium root). He closes up the gingiva to allow bone healing to occur
This waiting phrase is called the" nursing period” and aims to enable bone healing around the implant to occur. This healing is called osseointegration
- After this waiting period, the practitioner inserts a titanium abutment to which the temporary prosthesis or temporary crown will be attached to
- Finally, a metal-ceramic prosthesis or crown is attached to the implants by dental cement or screws fixed into the abutments previously put in place
Single implant
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Multiple implants
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After Implant treatment |
Before Implant treatment |
After Implant treatment |
Click to read about the advantages of dental implants over dentures or a bridge
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IMPLANT CASE STUDIES
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