Dental Implants

Dental implants are the nearest thing to natural tooth function available in dentistry at this time. Using the same principles and material used in joint replacement surgery, dental implants are securely anchored into bone and will attach to single or multiple replacement teeth. Implants are also used to anchor full-mouth dentures.
If one or more teeth are lost, oral surgeons more frequently place an artificial root (implant). These supports built in the mandibula and maxilla provides a stabilised basis for tooth restorations.
These implants are biocompatible and made of titan according to international quality standards. The size and shape of the implants fit to the jawbone of the patients to be treated.

Dental implantation can generally be used regardless of the age (except for children, since their bone development has not completed yet). Following a professional consultation our colleagues set up a personalised treatment plan for you and prepare a price quotation accordingly. Implantation is carried out at our dental surgery by an excellent oral surgeon, who has many years of experience. Implantation is generally made under local anaesthesia. A minimum volume of bone in the jawbone is the condition of implantation, if however there is no sufficient bone; it can be replaced by bone augmentation. In this case in addition to the artificial bone augmentation material a certain volume of the bone of the patient is used, too. In such a case sufficient bone must be built up first, where after during a second operation the implants can be placed. Proper oral hygiene and the annual control examination basically contribute to the exclusion of any complications.

What are the advantages of dental implants over dentures and bridges?

Reduced bone loss

Normally, the bone tissue surrounding the root of your tooth is maintained by your body’s natural renewal process. However, if you loose a tooth, you will be left with a hole where your tooth root used to be and the bone around this area will slowly begin to disappear (atrophy) and may change the shape of your jaw. A dental implant placed in that area can actually stimulate bone growth and production, preventing loss of valuable bone structure. In some patients where bone loss is substantial a bone graft may be required before placing a dental implant. Bone loss is a problem for people who have dentures and as the shape of the jaw slowly changes the dentures need to be adjusted or re-made to fit the new shape of the jaw. Bone loss can also make a person look older since the area around the mouth can sag as bone is lost
Improved function

Once dental implants are fully integrated into you jaw they function just as well as your own natural teeth and you can eat the foods you want and speak with complete confidence. With dentures, eating hard foods such as an apple can be a problem, either the dentures come loose or patients cannot withstand the hard biting forces as they cause pain in the gums. Irritation and inflammation of the gums is a common problem amongst denture patients. Dentures can be supported by implants or mini-implants which will improve function greatly enabling patients to eat the foods they want with complete confidence and not having to worry about bone loss and loose dentures falling out.

Improved dental hygiene

Unlike bridges and dentures, which require special cleaning instructions and extra attention, dental implants just need regular brushing, flossing and hygiene appointments just like your natural teeth.
No need to drill or remove any healthy tooth structure
When replacing missing teeth with dental bridges, the teeth adjacent to the gap need to be prepared and healthy tooth structure is removed to accommodate a crown or bridge abutment to fit over the top of the tooth. In the future if one of the supporting teeth is damaged the entire bridge restoration will also be compromised whereas with an implant the restoration is independent of any of your other teeth. By replacing lost teeth with an implant, no support is required of the adjacent teeth, and hence your natural teeth do not need to be prepared or altered in any way

Better aesthetics

If done correctly a dental implant should be indistinguishable from your surrounding natural teeth. Dentures can come loose and look un-natural if they do not blend with your gums and some bridges and dentures have unsightly metal clasps to hold them in place. Dental implants provide a much better cosmetic and functional end result.

How many teeth can a dental implant support?

Traditionally an implant placed into your bone supports a single crown and this is know as a “single tooth implant”. However if you have several missing teeth you do not necessarily need an implant for every missing tooth, one implant can support several teeth via a bridge or a denture. The number of implants required depends on the volume and density of bone tissue available at each implant site. Often smaller sized “mini implants” are used to secure dentures in place.
In the case of full mouth reconstructions where an arch of several teeth (10+) need to be supported in either the upper or lower jaw a minimum of 5-6 implants in each jaw would be required. The exact number of implants needed would depend on the individual case and your implant surgeon would be able to advise you on the best solution after a through examination and assessment.

Who is a suitable candidate for dental implants?

Dental Implants can be placed in patients of any age (with fully developed jawbones) provided that they have sufficient quality and quality of bone tissue available. Most healthy individuals that maintain a good oral hygiene program are suitable candidates for dental implants. Circumstances where implants may not be suitable or situations that have an increased risk of implant failure include:

• Heavy smoking – this slows down and hinders the healing process
• Excessive alcohol intake – disrupts healing of the gums
• Periodontal gum disease – all active gum disease must be treated prior to any implant procedure to ensure long-term success of any treatment. Periodontal disease is a major cause of bone loss, which would hinder the success of any implant procedure.
• Immuno-compromised individuals (steroids, auto-immune disease, patients undergoing radiation treatment).
• Teeth grinders (bruxism) – a nighttime splint can be given to treat this.

How long do dental implants last?

Dental implants have been used for over 30 years to replace missing teeth and they can last a lifetime depending upon how you look after them. Like any other restoration your implant-supported teeth can still be damaged by trauma and affected by gum disease and poor oral hygiene.

How long will a full implant restoration take?

With treatment of implants each case is different; therefore it is hard to evaluate any case without an oral examination. In most of the cases the schedule of an implant is the following:
If tooth extractions are needed, 3-4 month should elapse before the implant can be placed. As for the operation, a 2-4 day visit is enough. 2-4 months after the placement of the implants, the healing abutments can be placed which is a one-day visit. These healing abutments should remain for minimum 2 weeks, after which we can build up the implants and have the crowns or denture made. This visit should be one week long.