A dental implant is essentially an artificial tooth root that is surgically placed into the jawbone. One or more missing teeth can be replaced by attaching a crown, a fixed bridge, or a full set of dentures on top of the implants. The implant material, which is typically pure titanium, is extremely biocompatible since the bone treats the implant just as if it were bone. The effect is that the bone cells attach themselves to the implant and the interface between the bone and the implants is termed osseointegration. After an initial healing period, during which the implant(s) is left undisturbed underneath the gum tissue, it is uncovered and connected to a small post that serves as the foundation for the tooth or teeth that the implant will be supporting.

Indications for Implants

 

Implants may be used to replace teeth in single-tooth spaces, groups of two or more missing teeth, or where the teeth are completely missing in one or both jaws. Once placed, the implants are used to support individual crowns, or bridges that are retained rigidly to the implants. Implants may also be used to help retain removable dentures more securely.

 

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Candidates for Implants

 

Most patients who are healthy and not restricted from undergoing minor dental surgical procedures, and who have good oral hygiene can have dental implants. Your dentist will assess the potential implant site to determine whether there is sufficient bone volume and gum thickness to allow placement of an implant. We begin by undertaking a clinical examination that will involve inspection, palpation and gentle probing of the potential implant site and adjacent teeth. In straightforward cases, simple dental x-rays are usually sufficient to examine the bone. In more complex cases, specialized implant x-rays, known as tomograms, are usually required (either plain x-rays or CAT scans).

 

Implants Function Just Like Teeth

    

Just like teeth, implants are not made to come out. Implants are not the same as natural teeth but they function and feel very much like natural teeth. For patients that have lived with removable appliances, you will feel much more secure with implant retained teeth versus your old removable teeth.

   

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Implants Can Be Rejected

 

Implants that fail do so because the bone has not integrated sufficiently with the implant surface. Hence, implants are not "rejected" like an organ transplant; they simply fail to bond with the bone. This may occur if the bone is very soft at the time the implant is placed, or if the implant is initially unstable. Other reasons include inadvertent loading of the implant via a removable denture or by the action of chewing hard food over the implant site at the early stages of healing. Infection may also cause an implant to be lost. Most modern implant systems report success rates of 85-95% over a 5 to 15 years period.

     

Smoking and Implants Do Not Mix

    

Smoking affects the healing of bone and soft tissue, by reducing the nutrients and minerals in the tissues and by reducing blood supply. This means that smoking is one of the biggest risk factors in failure of dental implants. Recent studies estimate that the chances of failure increase by two to three fold in a smoker. Gum and bone like a warm, moist environment and smoking produces a hot, dry environment.

     

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Treatment for Failed Implants

 

In most situations, an implant can be replaced if it fails to bond with the bone provided that adequate bone and gum tissue is present. Failures do not occur very often but they do occur.

     

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Wearing Dental Appliances Following Surgery

 

In most cases, existing dentures and other temporary appliances can be worn immediately after implant surgery. There are exceptions but our goal is too minimize any esthetic concerns during the healing phase.

      

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Procedures for Implant Placement

 

In most cases, implants can be placed using local anesthesia in our office. In more complex cases, we may recommend that the surgical phase be performed while you are under general anesthesia in a specialists office or in hospital environment.

    

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After the Surgery

 

In most situations, a healing period of between 3 to 6 months is required before teeth can be attached to the implants. A temporary appliance can usually be made to provide function and aesthetics during this period. After initial implant placement, regular follow-up visits are required to ensure that healing is progressing as we would like. After the teeth are attached to the implants, regular check-ups are needed every 6 to 12 months. At these check-up appointments, the implants are inspected and examined to ensure that the supporting gum and bone remains healthy. X-rays are taken to examine the bone structure around the implant.

   

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Home Care for Dental Implants

 

For the implant to function well and to remain healthy, proper oral hygiene must be performed at home on a daily basis. Special cleaning aids (brushes, and floss) are widely available. We will provide instructions on the proper use of these cleaning aids. It is important to note that no metal scrapers should ever come in contact with the implants because metal scalers will scratch the surface of the implants, which is not desired.

    

Please see the Implant Gallery to view the type of results we can achieve with dental implants.