Dental Implants | Orthodontics | Cosmetic Dentistry

Through the course of their lives, many people have found themselves void of one or more teeth. These teeth may have been gone from birth or damaged as a result of an accident. Fortunately, the advent of dental implants has changed the lifestyle which people with missing teeth have to live.

Dental implants are, in lemans terms, artificial teeth constructed to mimic real teeth in just about every regard. The implants have roots (typically made of a rough titanium material) that are designed to grip the underlying bone the moment in which osteoblasts begin to grow atop it. The oseteoblasts create a strong bond between the implant and jawbone. While various forms of dental implants do exist, the most common (described above) is known as the osseointegrated implant.

Outfitting a patient with dental implants is a rather straight-forward procedure. The artificial root (ie. titanium screw) is first abraded to give it additional bonding potential when it is inserted into the jawbone. The surgeon installing the implant then proceeds to drill an adequately-sized hole into the jawbone to allow the implant to be inserted.

As are other dental surgeries, implant procedures are performed while a patient is sedated under general/local anesthesia. While most implant surgeries require the expertise of a specially trained dentist or oral surgeon, there is a growing trend in regular dentists performing the procedure. These implant procedures tend to be simplistic and demanding of little expertise. Unlike other dental procedures, implant surgery tends to require multiple visits over the span of a several months. However, some patients can be outfitted with implants in as little as one visit.

In a typical procedure, the surgeon makes an incision into the gums and proceeds to prepare the jawbone area for the implant. This specific surgery can last anywhere from one to several hours (depending on the number of implants the surgeon is planning to install and whether he/she will encounter any problems). Once the operation is complete, the patient is taken out of the operating room and is held until he/she awakes from sedation. The patient is then allowed to go home for recovery.

The implant can take several months to fully integrate into a patients jawbone. Once an appropriate level of fusion has been achieved between the jawbone and implant, a cosmetic dentist can use the implant as support for a crown or other restorative dental piece. Once the appropriate dental piece is installed on the implant, the patient can enjoy their new tooth or teeth.

For those patients who require quick turn around time, a surgeon can perform an alternative implant procedure. In this procedure, only the gum near the immediate drilling location is removed. Once the bone is drilled, the surgeon inserts the implant. Next, the restorative piece is installed. The patient should is forewarned to be patient in waiting to use the new tooth (considering the implant has not been given sufficient time to fuse into the bone).

Patients who need to replace a tooth with an implant are often advised to wait several weeks to several months before having an implant installed.

Before each and every implant procedure, patients are carefully examined using specialized machines to ensure their safety during the implant procedure.

Not all patients qualify for implant procedure. Those with inadequate amounts of bone in the proposed implant area may require special bone grafts. Further, the bone needs to ascertain a sufficient strength to support the dental implant. Patients are often examined with technologically-advanced machinery to determine their specific needs or deficiencies.

Prior to an implant procedure, the surgeon must ensure that the force being placed on the bone, and subsequent implant and restorative piece doesn’t exceed their load-bearing specifications. Improper calculations can result in a failed implant procedure, or a far more severe jawbone fracture or bone loss.

The restorative piece the dentist has elected to place on the implant site also has a significant bearing on the success of the implant procedure. The restorative piece should be taken into consideration as the oral surgeon decides on various aspects of the implant.

The dental implant procedure has proven to be a very successful dental procedure, with success rates hovering over ninety percent. As with any other type of surgery, the success of an individual implant procedure relies on the expertise of the surgeon, oral qualifications of the patient, as well as the technological capability of the surgeon’s equipment.

While the success rates of dental implant procedures are rather astonishing, failures in the procedure do occur. These failures are often linked to an inability for the jawbone and implant to properly fuse. Implant failure can be categorized into three distinctive categories. First, an implant procedure is considered blotched if the implant is lost in a short time following the surgery. Second, if the implant is loose following the surgery, the procedure is also considered to be a failure on the specific patient. Finally, bone loss in the implant site exceeding one millimeter within the initial year after the procedure and bone depletion to the tune of 1/5mm or more thereafter qualifies the specific implant procedure in question as a failure.

Failure can also stem from surgical or post-surgical errors. For instance, patients can begin developing a condition known as peri-implantis. This condition causes bone swelling near the implant site that over long periods of time can cause bone loss and subsequent dental implant failure.

Finally, those with a history of smoking may be predisposed to implant problems. Patients who are smokers are discouraged form proceeding with the procedure unless they are willing to give the habit up.

While typically safe, implants do have their fair share of dangers. Improper conduct on behalf of surgeons to locate nerves residing near the jawbone could cause irreversible damage to the patient. Further, patient refusal to disclose specific parts of their medical history (particularly history of conditions and behavioral tendencies pertaining to the teeth) could complicate the procedure and leave the door open for unwanted outcomes.

Although patients do have the option of consulting a general doctor for their implant procedure, it is often recommended that they consult with an experienced implant surgeon. As you can tell from the above, an implant procedure can be rather complicated and needs to be planned/prepared for accordingly. Many general dentists or oral professionals simply don’t have the skills or resources needed to conduct a full-fledged implant procedure.

The price of a dental implant procedure, while not typically between states, can greatly fluctuate between countries. The cost of dental implants in the UK is aligned with the cost of implants in the US, which averages $2.5k. This is not taking into consideration the type of restorative piece being used. A complete restoration with dental implants can cost someone nearly fifty thousand dollars. The price of dental implants varies in other countries, ranging from $1000/implant to as little as $100/implant. We ask that your exercise your common sense when determining where (in respect to the specific surgeon and location) your plan to get your implant. Your teeth are one of the most valuable parts of your body, and something that you can’t put a price on. Don’t be stingy and be sure to adequately shop around before settling with a specific surgeon.

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