What is a dental implant?
Dental implant is a titanium screw used toreplace a missing tooth in the jaw, which holds a porcelain tooth; titanium is safe and biocompatible with surrounding soft tissue and bone.
Are there any otheroptions to replace my teeth other than implants?
Yes, but in every case we look to numberof factors to decide on providing the better option in the best interests of the patient such factors as:
· Numberof teeth missing
· Spaceavailable for an implant
· Patientmedical history
· Smokingand habits
· Thecost of treatment
· Enoughand strong bone available to support the implant in place.
What if there is nomuch bone to support the implant?
If bone is deficient in the implant site,then we use bone graft to build up the bone, it also improves appearance by giving better shape of bone and overlying gum.
What are dental bonegrafts made of?
There are many types of bone grafts
1. Autograft: bone taken from another sitein your body that means you will end with two surgical sites to heal
2. Xenografts: bone from animal origin(usually bovine).
3. Allografts
4. Synthetic bone graft: artificiallyproduced, there are many types e.g: hydroxyapatite, bioactive glass.
Usually choosing bone grafts depends onsurgeon preference, cost and other factors. However, some patients refuse to use certain types of bone grafts due to religious reasons.
Are all bone graftsprocedures successful?
Success can not be predicted, but thereare number of factors that reduces risk of failure as:
Good blood supply, Preventing factors thatincrease risk of infection. And smokers have higher failure rate.
Can bone grafting andimplants be done in the same time?
It depends on the amount of bone need tobe built to insure implant initial stability. In some cases grafting is done first and then area is left for a period of 6 months to heal before placing the implant.
How long does thetreatment take?
Treatment is done in three phases:
1. Planning: timeis used to assess existing teeth status, make sure we work out appearance that suits you, and plan your temporary and final teeth.
2. Surgery: Iflittle bone exist we build up the bone and leave it 6 months to heal, if not an implant can be placed buried beneath the gum and left 3 months to heal, then a minor surgery is done after to uncover the implant so it be ready to be restored.
3. Making the Prosthesis: that involved series of impressions and record of your bite, atemporary crown made first than followed by your final crown.
Treatment process is different from one case to another and from one site to another as planning is customized depending on many factors, treatment varies from a period of 4 months to 12 months”
Are dental implantssuccessful?
Usually dental implants are successful,although failure can happen, this failure can be early or delayed. However research showed that patient’s general health is important, uncontrolled diabetics, smokers and with untreated gum disease generally have higher failure rates.
Implants success also depends on the amount and quality of bone to hold
the implant, implant failure is higher in grafted sites than ones in normal
bone.
Is there a maintenanceregime I should follow to take care of my implants?
Yes, similar to any other false teeth, youshould maintain excellent oral hygiene around the implant to reduce risk of developing an infection (peri-mucositis, peri- implantitis), also visiting you dentist or hygienist for routine check ups usually every 12 or 18 months, or sooner if you are starting to develop problems.
Are implants kept for alifetime?
No, implants are not natural teeth butthey do survive for a long time, if good maintenance and oral hygiene is achieved. 90% of implants survive up to 10 years according to research but they can be kept up to 20 years, some complications can be repaired or replaced as screw loosening and crown fracture.
Smoking increase risk of early failure. Infection around implants can be treated but in some cases the prognosis is poor and implants need to be replaced.