DENTAL IMPLANTS

What Is A Dental Implant?

Dental implant is designed to replace the missing tooth root and hold the artificial tooth in place. It is a screw made of Titanium screw that replaces the root of a tooth when it fails, and similar to a tooth root it is placed into the jawbone.

Natural Tooth
Dental Implant
Tooth Crown

How Safe Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are a safe, well-established treatment. It is probably true to say that implants, much like natural teeth, will last for as long as you care for them.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

The biggest factor that will determine how long your Implants will last is how well you look after your implants and whether you go for your regular maintenance appointments.

If you don’t look after your implants they will develop a coating similar to what you get on neglected natural teeth. Left untreated, this can lead to gum infection, bleeding, soreness and general discomfort.

You could get all these problems with natural teeth. If your implants are well looked after, and if the bone they are fitted to is strong and healthy, you can expect them to last for many years. However, just as with other surgical implants (such as a hip replacement) there is no lifetime guarantee

Materials Used In Dental Impants

Pure Titanium Dental Implant

Commercially Pure Titanium is a very strong and biocompatible metal that bonds well with living bone (osseointegration).

Titanium Zirconium Dental Implant

Titanium Zirconium Alloy is stronger than pure titanium and offers more treatment options with small-diameter implants.

Ceramic Dental Implant

An ivory-coloured metal-free solution for treating patients with a thin or recessed gingiva and high esthetic demands.

Why Are Dental Implants Needed?

Once teeth are lost, the bone in which they are embedded gradually disappears because it is no longer required to support the teeth.

If there is no implant, as with conventional bridges or partial prostheses, the bone may slowly recede and the shape of the may change over time.

Implants transmit chewing forces to the jaw bones, which helps to maintain the bone.

The teeth and lost bone are usually replaced by removable dentures or fixed bridges to restore appearance, speech and mastication. As with all man made substitutes for nature’s living tissues, there are drawbacks to artificial appliances. Dentures reduce masticatory (Chewing) efficiency and can suffer from poor retention. On the other hand, bridges involve cutting away healthy teeth in order to provide support.

Types of Tooth / Dental Implants

Single Tooth Implant Replacement

Full Jaw Rehabilitation on 4 or 6 implants

Conventional 3-Unit Bridge Treatment

Multiple Tooth Implant Replacement

Removable Dentures Retained on Implants

Retentive Anchors (Locators)

Procedure To Get Tooth/Dental Implants

It may come as a surprise but it is often easier to place an implant rather than taking a tooth out and is usually performed under local anesthetic, although your dentist might administer a sedative if you are very nervous or if the case is a complicated one. You should not feel any pain at the time but, just as after an extraction, you may feel some discomfort during the week after the surgery.

The first step is a consultation appointment. The surgeon will perform an examination of your mouth and will measure the amount and quality of bone in the area, assess your oral hygiene, take x-rays, and will give you options on which sort of implant you would like.

At the first treatment appointment, a cut is made in the gum and the screw is placed into your natural bone. Your gum is then sutured, covering the screw.

After your implants have been placed, the bone in your jaw needs to grow around them and fuse to them. This process can take a few months. Sometimes the implants may be stable enough when they are placed for the false teeth to be fitted sooner than this.

If you are having more than one tooth replaced, you may have a temporary denture in the meantime. If you already have dentures, you can keep wearing them while your implants are healing. They may require altering to fit properly after the surgery, and a ‘healing cap’ will usually be placed onto the implant site to protect it.

Once the crown is fitted, you can treat the implant like a normal tooth. This includes brushing and cleaning (flossing) between the implant and the adjacent teeth.

It is also possible to use implants to support more than one tooth. I is possible to place 2-4 implants to hold a full set of dentures. By fitting the dentures to implants you will get more stability and it can help improve confidence knowing that the dentures cannot move. Your dentist will be able to advise you on the most appropriate treatment for your needs