Implants
Implants are a preferred option for replacing one or more missing teeth.
An implant is a root-shaped titanium fixture (it may look like a screw) that is placed in your jawbone with great precision. The purpose of an implant is to provide support for a crown (artificial tooth) or a fixed or removable denture or bridge.
- A crown replaces a single missing tooth in a fixed manner and connects to the implant by a fixation screw
- A bridge replaces multiple missing teeth (or even all missing teeth in an arch) in a fixed manner and connects to the implants by way of multiple fixation screws
- An overdenture is a removable device that replaces all teeth in one arch. It clips into place by attachments and is removable by you. It shares some of the characteristics of a regular denture (some degree of movement) and benefits from the implants by clipping onto them (added retention and stability and improved chewing function).
What is the general flow of implant-based cares ?
1. Examination phase
- Medical and dental history
- Clinical assessment
- 3D radiographs (CT scans or CBCT)
- Impressions to obtain casts and analysis
- Taking photographs
2. Surgical Phase
- Implant site development (Tooth extraction, bone augmentation, sinus lift…)
- Implant surgery
- Post-op and follow-up visits
3. Prosthetic phase
- Confirmation of the integration of the implants (1 to 6 months post-op)
- Impression
- Try-in and delivery of the final restoration
4. Maintenance phase
- Long-term follow-up and professional maintenance (essential)
- Periodic radiographs
What are the advantages of implant treatment?
- For patients with missing teeth, dental implants avoid preparation of natural teeth and connecting them together to support a conventional bridge.
- Dental implants avoid the use of removable dentures.
- Implants are very successful dental treatments (90-95 % success rate for the implant body after 10 years). They are in fact more successful than most dental treatments provided.
- Titanium is known by several attractive characteristics, such as biocompatibility and long-term mechanical resistance and stability and can thus be considered the materials of choice. It is widely used in Dentistry and orthopedics.
- After healing, the implant surface and your bone fuse (osseointegration) and the implant is then ready to support a crown, a bridge or a denture.
Also learn about : Needs for bone and soft-tissue augmentations
