If you’re considering dental implants to restore your smile, you’re certainly not alone. In the United States alone, roughly 500,000 million people receive a dental implant per year. This article contains everything you need to know about dental implants – information that we hope will answer your questions and allay any fears you may have about the procedure. So, let’s jump in and take a closer look.
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are devices surgically placed into the jawbone to restore the aesthetics and function of a missing tooth or teeth. They support a false tooth (dental crown), bridge or denture.
Dental implants information – background knowledge
When a person loses a tooth due to injury or disease, they can experience various complications such as bone loss or a change to their chewing patterns that cause discomfort, and defective speech. Replacing the missing tooth with a dental implant improves oral and overall health.
A dental implant system comprises three components:
- titanium implant
- abutment
- dental crown
Furthermore, implants can replace a single missing tooth, multiple missing teeth or all of a patient’s teeth. Dental implants do not replace missing teeth on a like for like basis. For example, a dentist can close a large tooth gap with a dental bridge secured at either end with a dental implant. Thus preventing the need to compromise healthy teeth at either end of the gap (as with a conventional bridge) and providing a more cost-effective way to replace several missing teeth.
Moreover, as few as four to six implants per arch can be used to retain a denture while simultaneously preventing further bone loss and stopping slippage.
Dental implant surgery
Implant surgery is a minor surgery that often lasts less than an hour for a straightforward single implant. The dental team undertake extensive virtual planning beforehand to ensure surgery is fast, accurate and comfortable for the patient.
Once the surgery is over, there follows a period of healing during which time the surrounding bone and soft tissues merge with the dental implant, to become a permanent fixture in the mouth. This natural process is known as osseointegration and is critical to the success of the implant procedure.
When osseointegration has occurred and the implant has stabilised, another minor surgery may be required to attach the abutment. This tiny component connects the prosthesis to the implant post and helps distribute the biting force more evenly.
From start to finish, the dental implant procedure can take up to nine months, and sometimes longer.
Recommendations for patients
Before opting for dental implants, patients should find out more information, such as the potential risks and benefits of a dental implant and whether they are a suitable candidate for the procedure.
Things to consider include:
Your overall health – The main criteria for dental implants is a healthy mouth, sufficient healthy bone to support an implant and good overall medical health.
Implant brand – Enquire what brand and model of dental implants will be used for your procedure and note it. There are more than 150 companies producing implant components, and should you require a replacement part further down the line, different it’s helpful to know what type of implants are in your mouth.
Smoking – This can affect osseointegration and, in some cases, prevent it from happening. Smoking has been shown to affect implants negatively, and patients will be advised to stop smoking for the duration of implant treatment and beyond.
After the dental implant procedure
- Patients should adhere to the post-op instructions given to them by their dentist. Regular cleaning of the implant and surrounding teeth is crucial for the long-term success of the dental implant. Poor oral hygiene is one of the leading causes of implant failure.
- Schedule regular follow-up appointments with your dentist
- If your implant is painful or feels loose, contact your dentist immediately.
Dental implants information – benefits and risks
We’ve already mentioned that dental implants can improve a patent’s oral health and wellbeing, but sometimes complications occur. These can happen soon after surgery or several months or years later. Some complications result in implant failure, in which case another surgical procedure may be necessary to fix or replace the implant.
Benefits of dental implants
- Restores bite functionality
- Improves cosmetic appearance
- Halts bone loss and prevents jaw shrinkage
- Preserves the health of surrounding gum tissue and bone
- Helps to keep adjacent teeth stable
Risks associated with a dental implant
- Injury to surrounding tissues during surgery such as sinus perforation
- Damage to surrounding teeth during implant installation
- Injury during surgery (for example, fracture of the jawbone)
- Difficulty cleaning the gums around the dental implant, leading to poor oral hygiene
- Untreated periodontal disease
- Implant failure due to systemic infection (diabetes), local infection in gums and bone, delayed healing due to smoking
- A sensation of a tooth that is twisting or loose due to the abutment screw becoming loose
- A feeling that the teeth do not bite together correctly due to inadequate function
The good news is that dental implants have a success rate of 95% and above, and with good oral care, implants can last for decades.
Want to know more?
If you need more information about dental implants or would like to know if you are a suitable candidate for the procedure, please get in touch with No Gaps Dental.
We’re meticulous about infection control and ensure that all our clinics are clean and well-stocked with hand sanitiser. We use hand sanitiser before and after dental implant surgery to avoid spreading Covid 19. Our hand sanitiser contains 60% ethanol and 70% isopropanol, effectively killing many airborne viruses. We also advise patients to use hand sanitiser throughout their homes and before putting their hands anywhere near their mouths and newly installed implants.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
References
Dental Implant Industry Statistics and Trends
BrandonGaille.com
Long transmaxillary implants improve oral health-related quality of life of patients with atrophic jaws-a case series
NCBI
5 Most Trusted Dental Implant Companies and Manufacturers
The effect of cigarette smoking habits on the outcome of dental implant treatment
Implant success and survival rates in daily dental practice