What are They?
Dental implants
are a long-term conservative way to replace missing teeth. They are a
means of having FIXED prosthesis. With the presence of implants, you no longer
need to have a denture that moves around, floats, requires adhesive glue or
pads. They provide excellent support and stability for the replacement of some
or all of your teeth.
Dental implants are artificial
roots are surgically placed into the upper or lower jaw bone. The
bone grows to the anchors and then replacement teeth are attached to the
implants. The replacement teeth are very natural looking and enhance
and restore a patient’s smile!
Dental implants are very strong,
stable, and durable and will last many years, but on occasion, they will have
to be re-tightened or parts replaced due to normal wear.
When are they needed?
Dental
implants have a wide variety of applications and can be used to replace single
teeth, multiple teeth or an entire missing dentition such as for patients that
have worn dentures. They can also be used to provide additional support and
retention for complex reconstructive treatment. Implants cannot be placed when
there is a risk of compromising nerves or sinuses in the jaw bone. There are
many ways to overcome those limitations however, such as growing bone
(grafting) where insufficient volume is present. The application of implants to
solve complex problems is limited only by the skill and experience of the
prosthodontist and the treatment level desired by the patient.
ADVANTAGES:
·
Do not require the cutting down
(preparation) of healthy sound teeth on either side of the missing tooth area.
·
The most natural, conservative and
predictable replacement for missing teeth.
·
Can be used to replace single and multiple
teeth with crowns and /or bridges.
·
Preserves the jawbone architecture
and prevent bone attrition due to denture or partial denture wear.
·
Functions as well or better than
natural teeth.
·
Very esthetic results can be
obtained.
·
Implants do not decay.
·
Implants are not sensitive to
temperature changes.
·
Implants have high success rates and
long term documentation.
·
Teeth on implants can be modified in
the event changes occur to neighboring natural teeth, minimizing extensive
re-treatment.
DISADVANTAGES:
- Requires surgery.
- Initially more expensive.
- Requires more time to complete treatment. Time line is
dependent on complexity of the treatment. It takes time for bone to grow
to the implants.
- Requires a high level of specialized skills, both
surgically and prosthetically to attain predictable results. May require
orchestration of several specialists in very complicated treatment
scenarios.
- Not all implants work. The majority of implants have
success rates that now exceed 96% (dependent on skill of the clinician).
- Today every one is an “implant” expert and it is
difficult to determine who and where the real expertise is located. If a
dentist does one or ten implants a year, there is a serious lack of
experience. Ask, how many have they done, how long have they been doing
it, do they perform both the surgery and the prosthetics, if not who does
the surgery and who has ultimate responsibility for overseeing treatment?
If they are well versed in this newly expanding area of dentistry they
should be able to provide a list of patients who have had similar
treatment that you can call and ask questions as to their experience. “Let
the buyer beware” applies to all area including implants.
CONCLUSION:
Dental implants are one of the best
treatment alternatives for patients missing one, some or all their teeth. When
properly placed, implant supported crowns, bridges and dentures can be
esthetic, highly functional, very comfortable, predictable and long lasting.
SINGLE IMPLANT COMPLETED TREATMENT
FAILED LOWER FRONT TOOTH SINGLE IMPLANT REPLACEMENT
TWO IMPLANTS IN THE ESTHETIC ZONE COMPLETED TREATMENT