Implants

Implants

Dental implants are artificial tooth replacements that were first developed half a century ago by a Swedish scientist named Per-Ingvar Branemark. Implants arose from the patient’s need to secure loose-fitting dentures. Since the advent of the implant, engineering and enhancements to the implant have enabled dentists to expand the implant’s usefulness, including the replacement of missing or lost teeth. Today, implant techniques provide a wide range of tooth replacement solutions including:

• Single Tooth Replacement
• Anterior Replacement
• Posterior Replacement
• Full Upper Replacement
• Full Lower Replacement

Types of Implants

There are many types of implants, but the root form implant is by far the most popular and most effective because it mirrors the size and shape of a patient’s natural tooth. This implant is often as strong as the patient’s original tooth. The implant or artificial root is placed into the jawbone under local anesthesia, then allowed to heal and integrate with the bone. Once the healing process is completed and the jawbone is attached to the implant, the patient returns to the dental office where the implant is fitted with the new tooth (crown). This process generally takes anywhere from three to nine months.

A dental implant is a titanium cylinder that is placed into the jawbone to replace a missing tooth root. Once healed, the implant can be used to hold a replacement tooth, bridge or denture. Dental implants can look and feel like your own tooth. In fact, they can look and feel so natural that you may forget you ever lost a tooth. Dental implants provide many benefits, such as preservation of adjacent teeth, improved chewing, improved comfort, improved taste, improved speech and confidence.

If you already have a denture, dental implants can be used to help make your denture more stable and secure. Or they can be used to replace your denture with a fixed bridge. Even if tooth loss occurred 10 or even 20 years go, implants may still be a good solution.

Implants help preserve bone

Most patients do not realize that, following an extraction, the actual healing process results in loss of jawbone, which can impact future esthetics or fit of a replacement. Since dental implants integrate into the structure of your bone, they prevent the bone loss and gum recession that often come with dentures or bridges.

Tooth sparing

Dental implants are also generally more conservative to the surrounding teeth. With a bridge, neighboring teeth are often reduced or altered to allow the bridge to “fit” over the teeth. With dental implants, the implant is independent of the adjacent teeth. This means that adjacent teeth do not have to be touched. It also means that if an adjacent tooth is later lost due to disease or accident, it does not affect the implant. A bridge, in this case, would likely have to be removed.

Immediate Implants

A patient who needs an extraction can often have what is referred to as an immediate implant. In this case, the implant is placed the same day as the tooth is extracted. This eliminates the need for a separate implant placement procedure and reduces the overall time for replacement because the healing starts right away. Sometimes a temporary crown can be placed on the implant so that no one will ever have to know you had a tooth replaced. Not every situation or patient is a candidate for immediate implant placement, but those that are often enjoy less bone and soft tissue loss, improving the esthetics.

Who is a candidate for implants?

Almost anyone can be a candidate for an implant regardless of age or physical condition. Some systemic conditions could possibly influence implant placement, but they usually can be controlled so as not to be a factor. Depending on the patient’s needs, bone can be added to the jaw in areas where it may be needed. This offers a wonderful opportunity to provide implants for patients who do not have sufficient bone. This means that patients that would not have been candidates in the past can now have implants and enjoy the benefits and confidence that they provide.

Post-Implant Care

Although proper oral hygiene is always recommended for maintaining good dental health, it is especially important when a patient has received a dental implant. Bacteria can attack sensitive areas in the mouth when teeth and gums are not properly cleaned, thus causing gums to swell and jaw bones to gradually recede. Recession of the jawbone can weaken implants and natural teeth. Patients are advised to visit their dentists at least twice a year to ensure the health of their teeth and implants. Dental implants can last a lifetime when given proper care.