Dental Implants

WHAT ARE DENTAL IMPLANTS?

Permanent solution for tooth loss

Dental implants represent a common procedure of permanently replacing missing teeth without affecting neighboring teeth.

With the help of dental implants, we can fully remedy toothlessness and thus strongly improve chewing and speaking abilities as well as restore a beautiful smile. Implants can also serve as carriers of a fixed dental bridge or denture.

Dental Implant Consultation

During your initial consultation, your dentist will thoroughly examine your teeth and gums and assess your overall oral health. They will then go over your medical history. Generally, there must be enough healthy bone remaining from where the patient’s tooth was extracted for dental implants to be successful. Moreover, patients with active gum disease must treat it in advance of their implant surgery. Patients with diabetes or heart disease are not ideal implant candidate due to their inability to heal properly, though in some cases they can have dental implants as long as their condition is stabilised. Patients with inadequate bone volume may need a bone graft before a dental implant. The goal is to provide a stable and robust structure where implants can be placed and secured.

Your dentist will conduct an x-ray examination to determine how dense your jawbone actually is and see if there is enough structure to place the dental implant. Your dentist will also determine exactly where the implant should be placed, based on your x-ray.

You Treatment Options

Once the examination is completed, your dentist will discuss your treatment options with you. If dental implants are the right treatment, a treatment plan will be created detailing all the costs and the procedures involved. If you are considering dental implants in Perfect Dental, contact our friendly team to schedule a consultation.

Dental implants are artificial tooth roots used to support a restoration for a missing tooth or teeth, helping to stop or prevent jaw bone loss. The implantation procedure is categorized as a form of prosthetic (artificial replacement) dentistry, but also is considered a form of cosmetic dentistry.

People who have lost teeth might feel too self-conscious to smile or talk. Additionally, biting irregularities caused by tooth loss can have a negative effect on eating habits, leading to secondary health problems like malnutrition.

By replacing missing tooth roots, dental implants provide people with the strength and stability required to eat all the foods they love, without struggling to chew. Additionally, they help to stimulate and maintain jaw bone, preventing bone loss and helping to support facial features.

Tooth Loss

Teeth are lost because of:

Tooth decay
Root canal failure
Gum disease(Periodontitis)
Trauma to the mouth (tooth injury)
Excessive wear and tear
Congenital defects

Dental Implant

Dental implant surgery is a procedure that replaces tooth roots with metal, screwlike posts and replaces damaged or missing teeth with artificial teeth that look and function much like real ones. Dental implant surgery can offer a welcome alternative to dentures or bridgework that doesn't fit well and can offer an option when a lack of natural teeth roots don't allow building denture or bridgework tooth replacements.

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Mini Dental İmplant

Mini implants consist of a miniature titanium implant that acts like the root of your tooth and an O-ring that is incorporated into the base of your denture. This makes your denture much more stable and stops it coming out at embarrassing times. It allows small movements of the denture but will not allow the denture to fall out unless you want to remove it.

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All on 4 Implant System

The second technique is the All-on-4 implant system which is where a fixed bridge or denture components are fitted onto 4 dental implants in one day and are not removable by the patient. This is sometimes known as "fixed teeth in a day".hese 4 implants are then braced together by a fixed bridge which is screwed into the implants and held permanently in place. Unlike an implant-retained denture the All-on-4 denture can only be removed by a dentist and so is as close to having your natural teeth as you will get.

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before treatment

Any underlying oral health issues must first be managed before implantation may be considered. Common issues such as tooth decay and gum disease can make treatment less effective.

If you are a smoker, your dentist will advise you to quit, as smokers face a greater risk of failure than non-smokers. Smoking can affect osseointegration, the process by which a dental implant anchors to the jaw bone.

Once your dentist deems your mouth healthy enough for treatment, your custom treatment can begin.

Placing Your Implant(s) – The Procedure

Today’s dental implant restorations are virtually indistinguishable from other teeth. This appearance is aided in part by the structural and functional connection between the implant and the living bone. The procedure is typically performed in a single sitting but requires a period of osseointegration.

Osseointegration is the process by which the implant anchors to the jaw bone. An osseointegrated implant takes anywhere from six weeks to six months to anchor and heal, at which point your dentist can complete the procedure by placing a crown, bridge or hybrid denture restoration. If osseointegration does not occur, the implant will fail.

Dental implantation, which is performed to replace missing teeth, can be done any time after adolescence or when bone growth is complete. Certain medical conditions, such as active diabetes, cancer or periodontal disease, may require additional treatment before the procedure can be performed.

Detailed procedural steps are as follows:

Preparing the Jaw for Implantation: A dental implant and its restoration is commonly composed of a titanium material screw and a crown. A small-diameter hole (pilot hole) is drilled at edentulous (where there is no tooth) jaw sites in order to guide the titanium implant fixture in place. To avoid damaging vital jaw and face structures like the inferior alveolar nerve in the mandible (lower jaw), a dentist must use great skill and expertise when boring the pilot hole and sizing the jaw bone. In many instances dentists use surgical guides created based on the CT scans when placing the implants.

Placement: After the initial pilot hole has been drilled into the appropriate jaw site, it is slowly widened to allow placement of the implant screw. Once in place, surrounding gum tissue is secured over the implant and a protective cover screw is placed on top to allow the site to heal and osseointegration to occur. After up to six months of healing, your dentist will uncover the implant and attach an abutment (which holds the crown or tooth-like replacement). In some cases, the abutment may be attached during the initial procedure. When the abutment is in place, your dentist then will fabricate a temporary or final crown. Sometimes the final crown can be fabricated on the same day that the abutment is placed. The temporary crown serves as a template around which the gum grows and shapes itself in a natural way if warranted. The process is completed when the temporary crown is replaced with a final crown.

Recovery, Follow-up & Aftercare

Dental implant recovery depends on a number of factors, one of which includes the various procedures required to complete your treatment. However, it is generally recognized that once an implant has been placed, maintaining diligent oral hygiene habits helps ensure proper integration with bone structure. Failure to floss and brush can contribute to failure of the treatment. Infection can occur if the implant and surrounding areas are not cleaned properly. Smoking also is attributed to high failure rates and should be avoided following implant procedures.

If provisional restorations were placed along with the implant(s), it will be important to clean them as you would your natural teeth to ensure the best possible healing and fusing.

After the initial surgical procedure, discomfort should be minimal. Swelling of your gums and face may occur, as well as minor bleeding and bruising of the implant site. Prescription pain medications may be prescribed by your dentist to relieve any pain or discomfort you feel after the procedure. For five to seven days after surgery, your diet should be restricted to soft foods. If stitches are present, they may need to be removed by your dentist; however, self-dissolving stitches that do not require removal are typically used.

Healing from the surgical procedure to place the implant(s) takes up to six months, while the fitting and seating of the crown(s) can take up to two months. Again, this timeframe depends on individual cases and treatments. Follow-up appointments with your treatment coordinators are essential for monitoring your progress

Types of Dental Implants

More than 60 companies manufacturer dental implants and/or the materials used to create the restorations placed on top of them. As a result, dentists have many options for identifying the right treatment for specific patient needs. However, be aware that if you undergo an implant procedure by one dentist, then see a different dentist for a repair, your new dentist may have limited experience with, or may not have access to, the material components used by the previous dentist.

Dental implants usually are categorized based on the type of procedure used to place them: two-stage or single stage.

Two-Stage Implants: A two-stage procedure involves surgery to place the implant into the jaw bone and close (stitch) the gum tissue. Several months after healing, a minor surgery is performed to attach an abutment and temporary restoration.

Endosteal (Endosseous) Implants: Placed in the jaw bone, endosteals are the most commonly used type for two-stage implant procedures. Placed primarily as an alternative to a bridge or removable denture, endosteal implants include screw types (threaded), cylinder types (smooth) or bladed types.

Single-Stage Dental Implants: A single-stage procedure involves surgically placing a longer implant into the jaw so it is on the jaw bone, with the top level with the gum tissue, after which the gum tissue is closed (stitched), leaving the implant healing cap visible. As a result, after several months of healing, the abutment and temporary restoration can be attached without the need for minor surgery to expose the head.

Subperiosteal Implants: Placed on the jaw bone within the gum tissue, with the metal implant post exposed to hold the restoration, subperiosteals are rarely if ever used today. Subperiosteals were primarily used to hold dentures in place in patients with insufficient bone height.

Imlant Size

Another way to categorize implants is based on their size (also called platform), which dictates where they generally can be placed in the mouth. However, every case is different, and individual spacing and bone availability needs may dictate the use of a different size. The fixture has a platform dimension as well as length, both being important criteria in fixture selection.

Standard Platform: Standard dental implants range in size from 3.5 mm to 4.2 mm in diameter. These comparatively shorter and narrower implants are most commonly placed toward the front of the mouth.

Wide Platform: Wide platform dental implants range in size from 4.5 mm to 6 mm in diameter and are placed primarily in the back of the mouth.

Mini or Narrow Body: Mini or narrow body dental implants range in size from 2 mm to 3.5 mm in diameter and are placed primarily in patients with insufficient space between their tooth roots to accommodate a larger size. They also may be placed when the patient has insufficient bone density. They are sometimes utilized as temporary support for provisional prostheses while the final conventional dental implants are osseointegrating.

Are implants safe? How long will they last?

A implants are a well established, tried-and-tested treatment. 90 per cent of modern implants last for at least 15 years.

I have some of my own teeth. Can I still have implants?

A Yes. You can have any number of teeth replaced with implants – from one single tooth to a complete set.

Can implants always be used to replace missing teeth?

A It depends on the state of the bone in your jaw. Your dentist will arrange for a number of special tests to assess the amount of bone still there. If there is not enough, or if it isn’t healthy enough, it may not be possible to place implants without grafting bone into the area first.

Can I have the new teeth straight away?

A placing the implants requires a small operation. This can be carried out under local anaesthetic with sedation or with a general anaesthetic. You will not feel any pain at the time, but you may feel some discomfort during the week following the surgery. This is usually due to having stitches in place, and the normal healing process.

Do implants hurt?

A No. The implants need to bond (integrate) with the bone after they have been placed.This takes at least 3 months in the lower jaw and 6 months in the upper jaw. If you are having one, two or three teeth replaced, you will have a temporary restoration in the meantime. If you have complete dentures, then you can wear them throughout the healing period once they have been adjusted after the surgery.

How long does treatment take?

A It takes about 12 months from the initial assessment to the time when the artificial teeth or dentures are finally attached to the implants. However, if only the lower jaw is involved then it may only take around 5 months. A lot depends on how complicated your treatment is. Your dentist will be able to give you a timetable once the surgery has been done.

Are the teeth difficult to clean?

A Cleaning around the teeth attached to the implants is no more difficult than cleaning natural teeth. However, there may be areas that give you problems and you’ll be shown methods to help.

If I had gum disease when I had my own teeth, will I get it with the teeth attached to the implants?

A Yes, if you don’t care for them well enough. If you keep them clean, and don’t smoke, then you should not have any problems.

Can I take the teeth out if they are fixed to implants?

A most artificial teeth attached to implants can only be placed and removed by the dentist. However, if you have complete dentures fixed to the implants by bars, then you’ll be able to take them out for cleaning.

Do the implants show?

A Your dentist will make sure that the implants won’t show during all normal movements of the mouth and lips. You will need to be able to see them, so that you can clean them properly.

Do I have an implant for each missing tooth?

A no, unless you’re only having a single tooth replaced. Normally, five or six implants are used to replace all the teeth in one jaw, as each implant can usually support two teeth. For a few missing teeth, two or three implants may be used.

What if I get hit in the face?

A Implants and the teeth they support can be damaged by an accident in the same way that natural teeth can. However, if the false teeth are damaged and the remnants are left in the bone then they may be more difficult to remove than natural teeth would be. After healing, new false teeth can then be placed alongside the fragments.

What happens if the implant does not bond (integrate) with the bone?

A This happens very rarely. If the implant becomes loose during the healing period or just after, then it is easily removed and healing takes place in the normal way. Once the jaw has healed, another implant can be placed there. Or, the dentist can make a bridge, using the implanted false teeth that have ‘taken’

Is the treatment expensive?

A Unfortunately, yes. However, in many situations, the cost of the treatment is only a little more than the cost of more conventional treatment with crowns and bridges. There are advantages to it, too. An implant to replace a single tooth avoids the need to cut down the teeth either side for crowns to support a bridge. Normal dentures often mean you can’t eat or speak well, due to the dentures moving about. But teeth attached to an implant don’t cause this problem.

Where do I get this treatment?

A Talk to your dentist, so you can be referred to a specialist for assessment and treatment. Your dentist may already carry out some or all of this type of treatment and will give you the advice you need.

IMPORTANT POINTS AFTER IMPLANT OPERATION

They are placed in the jawbone but because of their limited height do not fuse easily with the jaw bone (osseointegration). But, they do last a long time and tend to be used as a means of stabilising the lower denture, especially in older patients. If a patient’s x-ray shows bone loss then they normally require a bone graft before the implant is inserted. However, they may be reluctant to do so, either for reasons of age or health. If this is the case then a mini dental implant may be an acceptable choice of implant. It is a solid although smaller form of implant and does not require the patient to undergo a bone graft beforehand. Mini implants consist of a miniature titanium implant that acts like the root of your tooth and an O-ring that is incorporated into the base of your denture. This makes your denture much more stable and stops it coming out at embarrassing times. It allows small movements of the denture but will not allow the denture to fall out unless you want to remove it.