Treatments - Dental Implants

Dental implants are artificial tooth root replacements inserted into the gums on which natural looking teeth are attached. They are titanium screw-like fixtures which are surgically placed into the jaw bone to provide support for dental restorations ranging from a single crown to dentures to bridges.

The Implants act as anchors for the crowns just like the natural tooth roots. Replacement teeth are attached to the part of the implant that projects through the gums. Dental implants can also provide an alternative to a denture that’s unstable, clicks, or causes pain. This is mostly the case with lower dentures for which implant support is being used successfully.

It is a modern technology by which dentists can achieve results that look exactly like natural teeth. The metal implant, mostly shaped like a screw, is placed into the bone through the gums. This is then allowed to heal and integrate with the bone. On this implant a natural looking tooth is then attached. There are different approaches to place dental implants after tooth extraction. The approaches are:

• Immediate post-extraction implant placement.
• Delayed immediate post-extraction implant placement (which takes 2 weeks to 3 months after extraction).
• Late implant placement (done 3 months after tooth extraction).

According to the timing of loading (artificial tooth attachment) of dental implants, the procedure of loading could be classified into: Immediate loading procedure, Early loading (1 week to 12 weeks), Staged loading (3-6 months), and Late loading (more than 6 months).

Most patients need the longer treatment plan, which is more reliable and gives a history of more than 90% success rate. In some clinical situations, bone grafting may be necessary in order to create enough bone to support the implant fixture and ultimately the restoration. This will however increase the overall treatment time for implant supported restorations.

Healing and integration of the implant with jawbone occurs over several months in a process called Osseointegration. After this occurs, the dentist uses the implant to anchor the crown or the denture. Since the implants supporting the restoration are integrated, which means they are biomechanically stable and strong, the patient is immediately able to chew normally.

                                 
Before (implant placed in bone)                                    After

Dental implants are recommended for people in good general and oral health who have lost a tooth or teeth due to gum disease, failed root canal treatment, an injury, or some other reason. They have to be used with caution in medically compromised cases such as metabolic bone conditions (i.e., hyperparathyroidism), vascular impairment to the implant site (i.e., excessive radiation), clotting situations (i.e., disease or thinning drugs like Coumadin). It is not a good choice for people on immuno suppressant drugs, medical conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes, hypersensitivity to specific components of the implant, etc.

The advantages of implants are that no support of adjacent teeth is required, so no reduction of these healthy teeth (which is required for bridge) and superior aesthetics and comfort. Though there is a high rate of success, a few disadvantages are present, such as long treatment time (3-6 months), high initial cost and risk of infection (as with any surgical procedure). But once the treatment succeeds, it can be the best investment one can make for oral comfort and appearance and which can last many years.