Braces

WHAT IS DENTAL IMPLANT?

A dental Implant is a titanium piece that is placed in the jaw bone. That fuses to the bone and works like a root of the tooth. A dental implant is an alternative to bridges and dentures. There are many types of dental implants. The main categories of dental implants are three types. Endosteal dental implants, subperiosteal dental implants, and zygomatic dental implants.  Endosteal dental implants are further divided into more categories. There are tapered dental implants, parallel dental implants, mini dental implants, and wider dental implants. There are different types of connection types. They could be internal hex, trilobe or they could be external hex as well. Dental implants could be made or Titanium or zirconia. The most common dental implants are used in the United States are made of titanium.

HOW MANY MANUFACTURERS OF DENTAL IMPLANTS?

There are hundreds of dental implant companies. Some of the main brands can be found are Astra Tech Dental, BioMet 3i, Biohorizon, Camlog, Dent Supply, Bicon, Keystone, Implant Direct, Mega Gen, Nobel Biocare, Strauman, Zimmer, Hiossen, Biotech, and 3M ESPE. These are just a few of them, but there are many more that can be found. Most of these companies claim that dental implants have a 99% success rate. The brand that dental implant dentists select depends on their comfort level and success. It also depends on the technique they are comfortable with. All dental implant dentists like to have great success and long-term patient relationships.

WHO IS CANDIDATE FOR IMPLANT?

Patients that have one or more missing teeth as well as edentulous patients are good candidates for Dental implants. If the patient is missing one tooth, he/she can have one dental implant placed and have a crown over it. That functions like their own tooth. If someone is missing three teeth in a row, we can place two dental implants and bridge over the implant, and fill in three teeth. If someone has a denture and the denture is moving, we can place two to four dental implants and the implants can hold the denture. Their chewing ability increases dramatically. They can also have multiple bridges or single implants with crowns. Single dental implants function like their own teeth and their chewing ability is increased by up to 100%.

WHO IS NOT CANDIDATE FOR DENTAL IMPLANTS?

Patients with bone metabolism and wound-healing disease are poor candidates for a dental implant. A smoker patient is not a candidate for an implant. A patient who has severe chronic periodontitis with poor hygiene is not a good candidate for dental implants. Some patients have systemic diseases such as uncontrolled diabetes, osteoporosis, hyperthyroidism, fibrous dysplasia, osteomalacia, and xerostomia due to other diseases. These diseases affect dental implant treatment success. If a patient has one of those diseases, dental implant treatment should be managed with their primary care physician or specialist.

ARE DENTAL IMPLANTS COST EFFECTIVE?

Yes! Initially, they are slightly costly, but they are long-term cost-effective because bridges can fail and require replacement. A patient can lose the tooth that is holding the bridge. Bridge abutment teeth can require a root canal that can cost more for the patient. Hence bridges can cost more in the long run. There is a treatment for edentulous patients with dental implants. One cost-effective way is implant-supported dentures. Four or two implant-supported dentures would be more cost-effective than “all on four” fixed dentures. The lower denture has always been a problem for the patient because it is unstable and painful. This could be supported with two dental implants.

HOW PAINFUL IS THIS PROCEDURE?

This procedure is very easy and it is completed under local anesthesia. There is very minimum pain. Some patients don’t even take pain medication. However, it depends on the severity of the procedure. There are times when a sinus lift procedure is done at the time of placement of the dental implant. That patient will have slightly more pain than a patient with a single dental implant with no reflection of the flap. Any dental implant procedure with a reflection of the flap would cause more pain.

WHAT IS SUCCESS RATE OF IMPLANTS?

According to dental implant manufacturing companies, there is a 97% success rate. It depends on the patient’s healing and the surgical technique of the implant dentist. The type of dental implant also affects the success of dental implants. Integration of the implant to the bone is a very important part of the implant’s success. Once the dental implant has been integrated to the patient’s haw bone, it would lead to great success provided the restorative dentist restores it properly and the patient’s hygiene is optimal.

IF A PATIENT DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH VOLUME OF BONE, WHAT IS THE SOLUTION FOR THAT PATIENT TO HAVE DENTAL IMPLANT TREATMENT?

There are different bone graft treatment options available. If a patient has resorbed ridge, the bone can be regenerated with different techniques. The patient needs to consult their dental implant dentist.  The implant dentist can determine the best technique to regenerate bone. Just to name a few for the patient’s knowledge, there could be vertical ridge augmentation with a particular bone or block graft. The bone graft material could be autograft or allograft. The width could be achieved by ridge split technique or grafting over the ridged. Many times, there is sinus pneumatization. In this case, there are two common techniques that can be used to increase the height of the bone. Lateral window and vertical sinus lift are the most common techniques use by dental implant dentists. Again, patients must consult with their implant dentist to achieve the best treatment.