Dental
Implants
Clínica IDEA –
Your Dental Implant Specialists
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Dental Implants:
Purpose, Care and Treatment
What
Are Dental Implants
Clínica IDEA – Your Dental Implant Specialists
Dental
implants are devices placed surgically within the
bones of the jaw or maxilla. Likewise, dental implants
serve to replace one or more missing or ruined teeth.
Nowadays, the
most common dental implants have the shape
of a cylinder or a cone because their function is to simulate
tooth roots that will be replaced.
Dental
implants are high purity titanium pieces with the
shape and size of a dental root and an acid-treated surface
to support the initial attraction of the dental implant to
the bone, and also underwent a sterilization process. The
prosthesis is a titanium device that allows joining the already
bone-integrated dental implant to the crown that is placed
on the upper part of the dental implant.
That’s how the tooth is simulated esthetically and functionally.
The dental
implant is placed within the bone of the jaw or maxilla.
Thanks to these artificial components (dental implants) that
exist in different shapes and sizes in order to cover each
and every need regarding the size of dental spaces and the
possibilities for a successful recovery, patients may replace
missing teeth. Thus, and thanks to dental implants, the patient
may recover his/her healthy and functional full denture from
the medical-organic point of view, in addition to being esthetics
from the beauty point of view.
The success
of dental implants is virtually total for
the majority of patients. This is due to the fact that titanium
dental implants meet the basic principle of being a bone-integrated
metal that joins the bone (only one piece is made) in a very
simple manner.
Titanium dental
implants have been improved during the last decades,
both in its ongoing specialized production and placement technique.
Medical tests have demonstrated that titanium is a metal
that the human body accepts at a 100%.
98% of patients
that undergo a dental implant treatment achieve
a successful dental restoration of their missing teeth or
posterior teeth.
What Are Dental Implants for
Clínica IDEA – Your Dental Implant Specialists
The dental
restoration technique known as Dental Implant
or Implantology is the most adequate procedure to replace
a missing tooth or posterior tooth.
The dental
implant replaces the tooth from its root and it allows,
thanks to the dental implant , not only to meet the mastication
functions in the case of posterior teeth or to bite and cut
in the case of anterior teeth that the patient used to have
before loosing his/her dental pieces, but also to cover the
esthetics aspect of having a healthy mouth.
However, there
is a non-visual function, and not less important, regarding
dental implants : once a dental implant has
been placed within the osseous space lacking a dental root,
it prevents the bone of the jaw or maxilla to be reabsorbed
due to the lack of use (of holding the root replaced by the
dental implant .
This function
prevents esthetics issues because the dental implant keeps
gums even. Therefore, the face presents no irregularities
or wrinkles if the patient has a full denture, either natural
or dental implants
Tipes of Dental Implants
Clínica IDEA – Your Dental Implant Specialists
• Conventional
Dental Implants (one or two surgical phases)
• Mini
Implants (one surgical phase)
• Dental
Implants for Orthodontics (temporary placement
until the end of the treatment)
Dental Implants: Their Utility
Clínica IDEA – Your Dental Implant Specialists
While being
firmly welded to the bone, dental implants look very alike
as a natural tooth; besides, they provide the necessary support
to hold prostheses and chew or bite in a natural manner.
Prostheses that are united to dental implants will maintain
a full and healthy mouth, preventing the injury of surrounding
teeth.
This is why dental implants are the best substitutes for teeth
that are missing or need to be replaced, and they also help
to have a healthy mouth.
Dental Implants: Their Benefits
Clínica IDEA – Your Dental Implant Specialists
Nowadays, the
best solutions for missing dental pieces are dental
implants. Implants are the alternative that most
patients prefer because they provide an equivalent replacement,
both in function and esthetics, to the natural tooth. Also,
dental implants prevent mouth pain that is common in other
replacement systems.
The advantage
of dental implants compared to removable
dentures is highly valued by those who change from the removable
system to dental implants.
Most Common Causes for Loosing Teeth
Clínica IDEA – Your Dental Implant Specialists
• Inadequate treatment of cavities, which tend to affect posterior teeth;
• Accidents affecting teeth and posterior teeth;
• Periodontal diseases: when teeth are lost due to gum diseases;
• Inadequate cleaning habits;
• Osteoporosis; the loss of calcium in bones resulting in the loss of teeth;
• Inadequate orthodontics treatments;
• Inadequate feeding during childhood;
• Dental cysts;
• Viral diseases;
• Bridges affecting roots that support prostheses.
PMore can be
listed but, whichever the cause of the loss may be, there
is always the possibility of replacement for a dental
implant , either a single dental piece, several,
or the full denture.
The dental
implant is the first step towards a healthy mouth
when a dental piece is missing. And a healthy mouth restored
with dental implants gives us a better quality of life in
our feeding, smile, and personal confidence.
Disadvantages of Dentures and Removable Prosthesis
Clínica IDEA – Your Dental Implant Specialists
•Certain food cannot be chewed with this type of dentures;
• The patient cannot speak out loud or fast because sometimes dentures move and they even come off; also, a patient may spit when talking;
• The patient cannot whistle;
• Retainers holding the missing tooth tend to hurt and provoke cavities in the surrounding teeth, thus provoking the loss of more teeth.
Thanks to dental cavities, patients recover their confidence in common situations, such as talking, chewing, smiling, and whistling.
Disadvantages of Prosthetic Bridges Compared to Dental Implants
Clínica IDEA – Your Dental Implant Specialists
• Two teeth are shaped to serve as a holder for the bridge that will support the lost piece;
• The bone where the piece is missing is reabsorbed, due to the lack of a dental root;
• The external aspect of the cheek is modified due to the lack of bone in the jaw or maxilla;
• As time passes by, holders supporting the bridge tend to be useless and it is necessary to replace them, which implies using bigger bridges.
By using dental
implants , surrounding teeth are not affected and
the missing piece is recovered from the root, thus avoiding
the bone reabsorption and the resulting wrinkles on the face
Dental Implants, Which Tests Are Needed
Clínica IDEA – Your Dental Implant Specialists
Whoever enjoys
a general good health condition is entitled to a dental
implant , no matter the age.
Based on an adequate examination, a health questionnaire of
the patient, and a panoramic radiography, the dentist may
determine in most of the cases if a person missing one or
several dental pieces may undergo a dental implant in order
for it to be successful.
In cases where
the space needed for the dental implant is
limited or when the existing bone has not the proper height
for holding the dental implant , it may be necessary the help
of a computed tomography to evaluate with more accuracy the
procedure to be followed for placing the dental implant
or, in such case, the implantation of bone.
Maintenance and Care of Dental Implants
In order for
dental implants to be in good condition, the patient must
brush them every day, as it is common and in the same way
in which they do it with their natural teeth. Dental
implants do not suffer from cavities but if they
are not cleaned, small pieces of food may remain between the
prosthesis and the gum, thus affecting the dental implant
supporting the tooth.
Percentage of Rejection to Dental Implants
HNowadays, thanks
to the progress in the design of dental implants
, these have improved their quality significantly; the rejection
by patients to dental implants is minimum. By using adequate
surgical techniques and a proper cleaning, there is no reason
for rejecting a dental implant .
One factor that
may provoke the rejection of dental implants
is the case of smoking patients (nicotine). This is why no
smoking is suggested until the incision has healed and to
do it in a prudent manner until the dentist confirms that
the dental implant is integrated to the bone (a few weeks).
This is due to the fact that nicotine is a strong vasoconstrictor
that limits the blood supply that is necessary for the dental
implant to be integrated to the bone. Likewise, smoking affects
the healing and bone integration of the dental implant
.
Another cause
for rejecting dental implants is a deficient
surgical technique that may overheat the bone where the dental
implant was made and, as a result, may provoke blood congestion
or hematoma where the surgery took place. In such a way, the
body does not accept the dental implant and rejects it as
if it were any other foreign body.
What is true
is that, based on an adequate prior diagnosis and an adequate
and detailed surgical process, once the dental implant
is integrated, a case of rejection is not common. The care
needed to maintain the dental implant out of troubles is very
simple: it requires an adequate oral hygiene on the natural
teeth and the dental implants in order to keep them healthy.
Phases of Rehabilitation for Dental Implants
The rehabilitation of missing dental pieces with dental implants has two main phases: surgical and prosthetic.
The Surgical Phase of Dental Implants
EThis phase has
to do with everything related to the placement of the dental
implant (titanium piece in the shape of a dental
root) within the bone.
The patient is
locally anesthetized and depending on the technique to be
followed by the dentist for the dental implant
, an incision on the gum may be made or not, and by using
the adequate tool, the dental implant is placed directly within
the bone that will contain it definitively. Sometimes a stitch
is necessary on the incision where the dental implant is placed,
and some others, it heals by itself.
There are cases
in which, depending on the criteria of the performing professional,
the most adequate thing is to place the dental implant
during the same surgery in which teeth are removed. When possible,
this implantation technique is less traumatic for the patient
and the recovery and final rehabilitation terms are shorter.
The bone surrounding
the dental implant covers it without realizing
that it is a foreign body and the fixation tends to be faster
and stronger.
Once the dental
implant is placed within the bone, special care should
be taken for three or four days by avoiding chewing on the
spot of the surgery, hot beverages and food, as in any other
oral surgery or dental extraction.
From the beginning, it favors the bone integration process
of the dental implant , which consists on waiting for a few
weeks for the bone surrounding the dental implant to adhere
to it with the same strength as a dental root; likewise, the
dental implant is firm in the mouth.
Once the dental
implant has integrated successfully, the next phase
may begin.
The Prosthetic Phase of Dental Implants
This phase includes everything related
to ending the process of recovering the replaced tooth with
the dental implant ; so far we only have the dental root (integrated
dental implant) and the hole is still in the mouth.
During the prosthetic phase, the crown stays united to the
dental implant by means of the prosthesis.
During this
phase, over the already bone-integrated dental implant
, a titanium device is place to serve as the basis so that
the professional tries the acrylic or ceramics piece with
the shape of the definite tooth or posterior tooth held to
the dental implant .
