For a person’s ability to chew or their appearance, dental implants are medical devices surgically implanted into the jaw to restore. Example of dental implants are crowns, bridges, or dentures, which provide support for artificial fake teeth. A person can experience complications such as rapid bone loss, changes in chewing patterns, defective speech that can result in discomfort. Dental implants can significantly improve the patient’s quality of life and health by replacing a lost tooth with an implant. Dental implants may include an abutment fixation screw and also consist of a dental implant body and dental implant abutment. The dental implant body is surgically inserted in the jawbone in place of the tooth’s root and the dental implant abutment is generally attached to the implant body by the abutment fixation screw and extends through gums into the mouth to support the attached artificial or fake teeth. Patients can talk to their dental provider about the benefits and risks and whether they are a candidate for the procedure before choosing dental implants.
Recovery after Dental implant procedure
Dental implant procedures are quick to heal as they the implant stay in place, improving the overall health of patients undergoing the procedures. Patients undergoing dental implants, undergo tests as it is an important factor in determining whether future patients are a good candidate for dental implants or not. Patients keep this information for their records and can ask their dental provider what brand of dental implant system is used.
Smoking may affect the healing process and decrease the long-term success of the implant. During which time patients undergoing the procedure typically have a temporary abutment in place of the tooth, the healing process for the implant body may take several months or longer.
After the dental implant procedure, regular cleaning of the implant and surrounding teeth is very important for the long-term success of the implant and carefully follows the oral hygiene instructions given to patients by their respective dentist. Patients are asked to visit their dentist regularly as scheduled. Patients can tell their dental provider if the implant feels loose or painful.
Advantages and Risks associated with Dental Implants
Dental implants can significantly improve the quality of health and the life of a person who needs them. Complications occur soon after dental implant placement or much later. Some complications result in implant failure or looseness or loss. If the implant fails, another surgical procedure can be performed to fix or replace the implant system.
The benefits of the dental implant system restore cosmetic appearance, restoring chewing ability, improving the quality of life, helping keep the jawbone from shrinking due to bone loss, preserving the health of the surrounding bone and gums, and helping to keep adjacent teeth stable.
Types of Dental Implants
There are two types of endosteal dental implants in the bone, this type of implant is generally an alternative for patients who are now wearing bridges or removable dentures. Various forms include screws, cylinders, or blades surgically placed into the jawbone. Each implant holds one or more prosthetic teeth. This is a common type of implant. And the other type of implant is Subperiosteal on the bone, this type of implant is generally used for patients who cannot wear conventional dentures and do not have sufficient bone height to hold an endosteal implant. This type of implant is placed on the top of the jaws with metal framework posts that protrude through the gum to hold the implant in place.
Ideal Candidate for Dental Implant
You are an ideal candidate for a dental implant if you have healthy gum tissues that are free of periodontal disease, you have adequate bone in your jaws to support the implant and you have good general and oral health. Dental implants are intimately connected with underlying hard tissues like bone and soft tissues like gums, they have the ideal combination of experience and knowledge to make sure you get a dental implant solution that takes and feels like your own teeth.
Your periodontist will create a treatment plan tailored to meet your needs, depending on your specific condition and the type of implant chosen. Some of the possible treatment plans depending on your situation.
- Complete mouth dental implant: If all of your teeth are missing, they can be replaced by a full mouth dental implant.
- Multiple Dental implants are common nowadays: If you have several missing teeth, they can be replaced by multiple dental implants.
- Single tooth dental implant: If you have only one tooth missing, one dental implant can replace it.
Sinus Augmentation
It can help correct this problem by raising the sinus floor and developing bone for the placement of dental implants. The upper back jaw has traditionally been one of the most difficult areas to successfully place dental implants due to insufficient bone quality and quantity and the proximity to the sinus.
Ridge Modification
It has been shown to greatly improve the jaw’s appearance and increase the chances of successful implants. Deformities in the upper or lower jaw can leave you with an inadequate amount of bone in which to place dental implants. The gum is lifted from the ridge to expose the gap where the bone is missing to correct the problem. The gap is then filled with bone or bone substitutes to build the ridge.
To keep your implant clean and plaque-free, brushing and flossing are still necessary. Periodic follow-up visits will be scheduled to monitor your implant, teeth, and gums to make sure they are healthy.
Risk associated with the dental implant system
Injury during surgery like fracture of the surrounding jawbone, damage to surrounding natural teeth, injury to the surrounding tissues during surgery, implant body failure, systemic infection, local infection in the bone, etc.
