Dental Implants

“Dental Implant"
“Replacing Teeth, Restoring Smiles”
Implant Dentistry and Dental Implants

A dental implant is a small titanium screw-like fixture that serves as a replacement for the root portion of a missing natural tooth. The dental implant is placed in the bone of the upper or lower jaw. After the placement, the implant has to fuse with the bone (titanium is one of the best materials to integrate with natural bone) which usually takes a couple of weeks. Treatment time varies depending on the condition. By having a dental implant as a dental substitute, it is possible to get well-functioning and esthetic looking teeth within a few days. In some cases, it may be necessary to wait a longer time period before finishing the restoration in order to obtain the best results.

Dental implants can be used to replace a single lost tooth or many lost teeth. Implant supported replacement teeth look, feel and function like natural teeth, they preserve the integrity of a facial structure and improve the look and function of the jaw. Once the screw-like fixture is fully integrated to the bone, the dentist will connect the crown part onto the implanted root in order to act as a natural tooth. This makes the tooth looks natural and can replace natural missing tooth.

Basically, anyone who has one or more missing teeth due to accident, injury, diseases, or decay may be a candidate for dental implants. Sometimes if there are a number of teeth missing, dental implants in conjunction with crowns or bridges can replace them. The rule of thumb is that if you are healthy enough to have a tooth extracted, you are probably healthy enough to receive dental implants.

Anesthesia and sometimes sedation of patients are used to eliminate any discomfort at the time of the procedure, so there is virtually no pain during the process of implant insertion. There may be some discomfort after the procedure, but this is usually minimal and can be significantly reduced – or eliminated – with the help of ordinary painkillers.

If you decide to go ahead with the implants, you should know that advantages of using dental implants for replacing missing teeth as of the followings:-
- First of all, bone loss is stopped when implants are placed and the dental implants can’t be damaged by decay.
- The success rate is quite high. Dental implants are bio-compatible; they are made out of titanium that fuses with bone, naturally. Implants can stabilize dentures as well and it is almost impossible to damage them after it is fused to the bone.
- Implants can improve facial appearance as well as dental function such as biting and chewing.

What Dental implants can help?
Naturally, there are many benefits of dental implants. The benefits of implant treatment include improved appearance and self-esteem as well the enhanced ability to chew and enjoy your food. Oftentimes, it can preserve your remaining teeth and jawbone.

- Improve your smile
- Eat the food you enjoy
- Restore chewing function for easy digestion
- Speak with greater comfort
- Restore your facial structure
- Preserve surrounding bones by replacing tooth root
- Enjoy an active lifestyle
- Same oral care as that of a natural tooth

Explanation of dental implants
Natural teeth
Our teeth are not only essential for life as chewing tools, but they are also an important element of our harmonious facial expression, and thus, of our personal charisma. Distinct, unmistakable facial expressions and untroubled laughter are determined to a great extent by the appearance of the teeth. Healthy teeth are a vital requirement for our aesthetic appearance and clear enunciation. No matter what we do, the condition of our teeth is a meaningful visiting card, by which we and our life circumstances are judged, whether we like it or not!

Tooth loss –what can be done?
In the course of life, teeth can be lost because of caries, gum disease, or accidents. A missing tooth can become noticeable functionally and aesthetically, so our eating habits and our outward appearance are impaired. We would like to have a dental replacement, which is an inconspicuous as possible, and which should correspond completely to the natural model in function and appearance.

Conventional methods –and their disadvantages
Natural teeth can be replaced by bridges or dentures. For bridges, healthy dental enamel as to be sacrificed by grinding the adjacent teeth. The gap in the row of teeth is closed by an intermediate element; however, the lost dental root is not replaced, which affects the jawbone, because it will “atrophy” (dwindle) with time –it lacks the pressure from chewing transmitted by the root, which normally stimulates it to constant regeneration. Dentures lead for the same reason to a disappearance of the bone mass –an inescapable atrophy, and the denture has to be constantly corrected. The result is a denture, which often fits poorly and this impairs many who wear dentures greatly in their quality of life; in the extreme case, this can go so far that they generally avoid social contact.

Dental implants – a “natural” solution
Dental implants are the effective replacement for lost teeth. As they anchor in the jawbone, dental implants form a stable foundation for permanent attachment of the crown; there is no need for grinding of adjacent teeth, and loss of bone tissue by atrophy can be prevented, since implants, as “artificial dental roots”, transmit the chewing forces into the jawbone, so the regeneration of the bone can still continue. A single implant substituting a natural tooth is the most elegant way of achieving a cosmetically ideal closure of the gap. In completely edentulous jaws, dental implants are a secure fixation method for removable full dentures and so spare the patients the usual disadvantages of conventional “false teeth”.

How does a dental implant work?
The dental implant is a screw-shaped buttress, which replaces the natural dental root. The implant is inserted in the jawbone, where it will be firmly embedded by the bone after an average of 6-8 weeks. During this healing phase, dental implants are usually not covered by soft tissue, so a further surgical procedure may not be required when the crown is attached.
Dental implants are made from commercially pure titanium. This material is integrated without complications by the body’s tissues, no allergic rejection reactions occur. Firm anchorage in the bone and harmonious adaptation of the gum margin to the implant body result in a solid foundation for reliable and long-lasting dental substitution.

What conditions must be met for implantation?
Basic requirements for implantation are an adequate bone supply with regard to quality and volume, good oral hygiene, and normal wound healing capacity. Before implantation, the natural teeth are rehabilitated, and any gum disease is treated. Important guarantee of long-term successful implantation are conscientious oral hygiene and regular check-ups with the dentist.

What costs can be expected?
Since every implantation represents a completely individual problem solution tailored to the special requirements of each single case, it is not possible to give general guidelines concerning costs. Our implantologists will draw up a personal treatment and cost plan.

A highly elegant method
Several patients world-wide can already report on the benefits of implant-supported tooth replacement. Implants are increasingly recognized as acknowledged beneficial alternatives to the more conservative methods of tooth replacement with their described disadvantages. With conscientious care –which you are used to for your natural teeth for a long time –Dental implants will give you the best functional and aesthetic service for many years. The gain in personal quality of life is considerable. Dental implants have been in use for over 20 years on a scientific basis, and they have been subject to the strictest quality controls in research, development, manufacture, and sales from the start.

A lifestyle improvement
Restoring naturally beautiful, confident smiles means more than just restoring teeth; it means restoring and improving your quality of life. With dental implants, chewing and speech are restored or improved, and a permanent natural appearance is achieved. Whether you are missing one or all of your teeth, implants allow you to enjoy your favorite foods and have the confidence you desire for an active professional and social life.