Knocked out a tooth or a few teeth due to sports or an accident? A tooth implant procedure may be your best option, especially if you do not want your other teeth to be affected by the placement of bridges and partial dentures. To acquaint you with the procedure of tooth implant, the basic steps are described to familiarize yourself with the procedure and to better equip you to ask questions, and discuss your other options with your doctor.
- Basic Description of a Tooth Implant Procedure
- * The first step of a tooth implant is to evaluate whether you can proceed with a dental implant or not. Smoker, heavy drinkers, and people with healing disabilities such as diabetes and anaemia are advised not to consider this treatment due to high risk of complications. The second stage is compliance with pre surgery requirements to include administration of x-rays for jawbone analysis as basis for determining the most appropriate implant device.
* The third stage marks the surgery stage for the tooth implant. Your dentist will use a local or general anaesthesia that will enable you to sleep throughout the surgery, depending on your preference. Also depending on your medical examination, antibiotics may be given before the surgery.
* The procedure involves incision on your gums and formation of a space by drilling a tiny hole in your jawbone. A titanium-alloy cylinder is then surgically inserted into your jawbone that will serve as an artificial root that will hold a false tooth in place . Your gums are then sutured to allow the implants to heal, and fuse with your jawbone to provide a stable support for the artificial tooth. Healing takes place within a period of four to six months.
* Your dentist will provide you with antibiotics and pain relief medications after the surgery. A temporary bridge or denture may also be provided in case the implant is administered in the front of your mouth for mitigation of possible social discomfort. And after ten days, you will be instructed to return to your doctor to have the stitches removed.
Once the implant is positioned in your jaw, you have to wait for osseointegation of the implant to take place for several months. Healing period is expected to take place between three to four months in the case of the lower jaw while it takes around five to six months in the case of the upper jaw. At this time, the head of the implant remains hidden below your gum.
* After the osseointegration of the implants around the jaw bone, you have to undergo the second round of surgery. After giving you a local anesthesia, your surgeon will uncover the implant by making a tiny incision in your gum. The protective screw of the implant will be replaced by a collar or metal abutment to maintain the space for your gums for proper healing purposes around the implant. The metal abutment is a small titanium cylinder that is positioned above your gums, where your teeth would be placed.
* Note that some dentists opt for one-stage implants. These dental implants placed in the jaw, remain exposed in the mouth so that administration of second surgery is no longer necessary.
* Typically two to three weeks following the second surgery, you will return to your dentist to start the restoration process or having your crown or bridge made. For a single tooth replacement, your dentist still has to utilize a crown. The crown will be subjected to custom based design to perfectly blend with your other teeth. To replace back teeth, the use of metal crowns is often the answer considering that the same teeth are exposed to greater pressure from biting and chewing. To replace front teeth, the option is ceramic and porcelain crown type because of its natural appearance. In the case of multiple teeth replacement, implant-supported bridge is the option.
- Cost Requirement of Dental Implant
- * The cost requirement of dental implant has bearing on the implant devices used, type of dental implant done, training and experience of the dentists, area and country location, and the amount of additional work done before the dental implants can be placed such as sinus augmentation for upper jaw implants and bone grafting when there is not enough bones to strongly hold the implant.
* Thus a dental implant becomes more affordable if the scope is limited to a single tooth or a few teeth. However, if you have to undergo full lower or upper jaw teeth restoration, the cost could be significantly high requiring you to avail of a dental financing plan with your dentist.
- What are Dental Implant Types?
- * Endosteal implants or Root-Form Titanium Implants are characterized by direct placement in the jaw bone. These are otherwise known as screw dental implant types or plate form implants, where a long, flat, implant is placed into the jawbone. Once the gum tissue surrounding the implant has healed, a second surgery is required to connect a post to the original implant where the artificial tooth or teeth will be attached individually, or grouped together in a bridge or denture.
* On the other hand, subperiosteal implants are used when the amount of bone is not sufficient to strongly support endosteal implants. Rather than insertion into the jaw bone, the subperiosteal dental implant types rest on surface of the jawbone beneath the gums and become permanent when the gums get fully healed. Attached to the frame, are posts that extend beyond the gums wherein the replacement teeth will be mounted. This type of implant is made from a CAT scan and cosmetic impression of the jawbone.
- Success Rates and Durability of Implants
- * Five-year studies have revealed a 95% success rate for lower jaw dental implants and 90% success rate for upper jaw dental implants. Upper jaw implants are more complicated operations because the upper jaw is less dense than the lower jaw, making osseointegration or the integration of the implant with the bone more difficult to attain.
* The life span of implants can last for ten or twenty years depending on the administration of the procedure and the strict adherence to dental routine by the patient concerned.
The option to undergo tooth implant is a wise decision if you are confronted with a missing tooth or you need to replace a few teeth. For payment options for dental implant, you have to consult your dentist.
Authour: Blaise Breton Site: dental implants
