Your dentist has advised you an implant. Suddenly you are anxious when the dentists uses the “surgery” word to place the implant. Well, Let’s check some facts about dental implants.
What are Dental implants?
They are routinely used to replace a single tooth, few teeth or to support a full prosthesis for the entire jaw if all teeth are extracted. There are various types of materials used to fabricate dental implants. The most commonly used is Titanium alloy. It’s a biocompatible material and doesn’t cause any adverse tissue reaction.
The advantages of dental implants:
1. You get to have fixed teeth and no trouble of denture popping out.
2. Due to fixed teeth, you can chew better
3. No cutting of adjacent healthy natural teeth like in case of a bridge.
How soon should I get the implant done after the tooth extraction?
As early as possible. The bone tends to resorb fast around the tooth that is extracted. The primary requirement for an implant is adequate bone. Once the bone is lost, you might need an additional surgery to develop some new bone and second surgery to place the implant. Hence, its important that you get an implant before any major bone loss.
Steps involved: Following are the steps explained for the easy understanding appointment wise:
1st appointment- the dentist will take your medical history to rule out any bone disorder you might have. He will then do a thorough checkup of the oral cavity to see findings like the space available, gum condition, condition of other teeth etc. A primary impression of your jaws will be taken to study the model. After the clinical checkup, you will be advised to get either a x-ray or a CBCT scan done to give a 3 dimensional picture of the available bone. Nowadays, there is an additional option of going for guided surgery wherein a prefabricated guide is prepared using CADCAM technology which is used to precisely place the implant in the ideal position and avoids any human error. You also will need to get the routine blood tests done before the implant placement surgery. All these investigations ensure the safe and successful results of an implant.
2nd appointment- The dental implant of an appropriate length and diameter as indicated by clinical finding and radiographic assessment will be placed under local anesthesia. As per the need, it could be only 1 implant or multiple implants. Also, if there is inadequate bone, the dentist might place few implants in tilted/angled manner to utilize the available bone in a most conservative manner.
3rd appointment- The implant takes 3-4 months to be surrounded by healthy natural bone and the dentist will confirm implants bony integration using a xray. Once confirmed, the mouth of the implant is opened and a small component (gum shaper) is placed on top.
4th appointment- The impression of the implant will be recorded and sent to the laboratory.
5th appointment- The crown(cap) or the denture will be fixed onto the implant.
We at Bright Smile Dental Clinic use computer guided surgery to place dental implants which minimizes the anatomical risks associated with manual placement.
Is Dental Implant safe in Diabetes?
Yes, provided the sugar levels are under control. We will advise you to get the blood sugar levels tested before the implant placement.
Is immediate implant (same day implant)safe?
Yes. nowadays, the damaged tooth can be removed and an implant can be placed in the same appointment. If there is enough torque obtained while placing the implant, even an immediate temporary tooth can be given on top of the implant.
Is All on 4 (tilted)Implant a safe procedure?
Yes. When a patient doesn’t have adequate bone in back areas of the jaws, the procedure advised is tilted/All on 4 implants. Here, 2 front implants are placed in a straight manner while the back implants are tilted to avoid damaging either the sinus in upper jaw or the nerve in lower jaw. After the placement, the tilted placement allows seamless fabrication of the prosthesis for the entire jaw. This treatment is routinely done in case of patients who have missing teeth since many years and hence inadequate bone.
How should I ensure at home safety of the implants placed?
Get the implants checked routinely from your dentists. Use dental floss or water flosser around the implant crowns.
There are a few choices accessible for this. You can go with a dental flipper, which is similar to a transitory dental replacement that has a bogus tooth joined to it Best Dental Implant Clinic In Mumbai. Another choice is a retainer to cover every one of your teeth that will conceal the hole.