Dental implants – yes or no?
Not by accident dental implants become more and more popular with each passing year. Many people become convinced of their efficacy because they perfectly substitute missing teeth, which in turn restores the patient’s self-esteem. There is nothing better than being with your own teeth.
Everyone knows that the lack of teeth is related to discomfort and reflects directly to the self-esteem. Often people with bad teeth stop smiling and hide their mouth with hands. Remember – the biggest enemy of fear is information. Sometimes all we need to do is just take a deep breath, and go informed. Dental implants are a modern miracle.
Dental implant surgery is a procedure that substitutes tooth roots with metal posts. It replaces damaged or missing teeth with artificial ones that function like real teeth. Surgeons use similar surgical metals for implants as in other surgeries, such as hip replacements. Placing an implant involves surgery, and sometimes bone grafting is necessary to improve the chances of osseointegration. Placing the implant accurately and safely requires knowledge, skill, and experience. The abutment and crown that covers the implant should be high-quality and durable.
Against dental implants
Actually, it is hard to find reasons not to put dental implants. However, let’s make some things clear. Like any surgery, dental implant surgery poses some health risks. Problems are rare, though, and when they do occur they’re usually minor and easily treated – infection at the implant site; injury or damage to surrounding structures, such as other teeth or blood vessels; nerve damage, which can cause pain, numbness or tingling in your natural teeth, gums, lips or chin; sinus problems, when dental implants placed in the upper jaw protrude into one of your sinus cavities.
Where to place dental implants
The treatment with dental implants follows a strict protocol. Dentists usually place the temporary dental crown on the implant after 2 to 4 months. If the missing tooth is in “aesthetic zone” you will receive detailed information of its replacement in order not to cause discomfort during the period of osseointegration (adhesion of the implant to the bone). We should note that even the most precise surgery may end up with compromised results. Compromising oral health in any way during or after the surgery will lead to post-surgical complications.
For example, the dentist may place implant too close or on top of the nerve – which leads to damage of the nerves in that area, thereby giving unbearable pain. But sometimes it concerns unexpected circumstances, or poor oral care. This could happen mostly to the smokers. Whatever the problem is, trusting your dentist and following his instructions is a must.
To ensure complete healing of the soft tissue, you need to keep the temporary dental crown in your mouth for a minimum of 6 months. This timeframe is crucial for making all necessary corrections. You will be able to eat and use the dental crown – the perfect way to figure out if it needs additional corrections. Placing of the permanent dental crown will be done six months later and regular checkups are required after the surgery to ensure proper healing is taking place. These terms are different for each patient just because every person has individual amount and type of problems. In fact, 2 to 4 months after the procedure you will have a tooth you will feel as if it is your own.
Physiological and anatomic conditions
Before surgery, it is necessary to create the physiological and anatomical conditions if they are missing. Cases often involve a short bone or facial jaw anomaly. They may require sinus grafting for dental implants. Sinus grafting lifts the lower sinus membrane and places a bone graft. This creates space for the dental implant. The sinus lift’s goal is to graft extra bone into the maxillary sinus. This provides more bone to support a dental implant. Those types of situations need additional surgeries that also could take more time.
If the implant isn’t properly seated and the gum tissue doesn’t seal well around it, bacteria can accumulate in the tooth socket. Individual eating habits can further complicate this situation. If they are prone to eating hard foods or chew with much impact, they can slowly create small spaces between the implant and the tooth socket.
You might not be surprised to hear that smokers should not receive dental implants if they cannot refrain from smoking during the healing period.
A proper attitude towards dental implants is crucial. Smoking and poor oral hygiene can undermine treatment results. They can also cause late, painful, and aesthetically unsatisfactory wound healing. These habits can lead to implant loss, bone or soft tissue graft. Another issue with dental implants is breakage. Implants, primarily made of titanium, can bend and break. The only solution for breakage is the replacement of the implant with a new one.
Yes on dental implants
Teeth are one of the first things we see when looking at another person’s face. A healthy smile is a must for many of us when judging attractiveness, or when considering a candidate for a job position. If we put a dollar in a jar for each time we hid our smile, how quickly would that add up?
The very first and most important advantage of dental implants is that they can weaken adjacent teeth.With bridgework, for example, the natural teeth on either side of a gap left by a missing tooth must provide support for the dental bridge. This can stress those adjacent teeth and leave them more susceptible to decay. Likewise, a partial denture relies on adjacent natural teeth for support and may cause those teeth to loosen over time.
Dental implants are stand-alone tooth replacements that don’t rely on support from adjacent natural teeth. Talking about comfort, we shouldn’t miss the fact that there is nothing more comfortable than crowns on implants. They look, feel and can be used like your natural teeth. The ability to chew foods improves with dental implants – a prosthesis supported by dental implants functions like natural teeth making eating an enjoyable and easy experience.
Moreover, it even improves taste and chewing ability. Why is that? For an example, a full upper removable denture covers the roof of the mouth, which makes food difficult to taste and enjoy. On another hand, with an implant-supported prosthesis, the roof of the mouth is not covered and food can be tasted fully.
Do you want to keep your face and smile young looking?
Pick the implants. Dental implants keep the soft tissue, the bone, and jaw healthy and restore facial symmetry if the lack of one or more teeth discredits it. How? Bone is a living tissue that needs constant stimulation to rebuild itself and stay healthy. In the case of your jawbone, that stimulation comes from the teeth. When even one tooth is lost, the bone beneath it begins to resorb or melt away. This can give your face a prematurely aged appearance and even leave your jaw more vulnerable to fractures if left untreated long enough. Dental implants halt this process by fusing to the jawbone and stabilizing it. No other tooth replacement method can offer this advantage.
If you choose to place a fixed bridge instead of getting a dental implant, your jawbone will eventually begin to deteriorate underneath the missing tooth. This occurs because you don’t receive adequate stimulation to the bone without a tooth root. The same situation arises with dentures that are not supported by implants. The longer you wait to get dental implants, the more likely it is that your jawbone may lack the integrity to get implants in the future without a dental bone graft.
How long do dental implants last?
It is forever. After choosing to get dental implants and good clinician to make the procedure, there are several things to do: if you smoke, stop; take the best care for your oral hygiene; do not miss your dental check-ups. If you follow these steps, your implants will last forever.
There is no difference between caring for implant teeth and caring for natural teeth. Of course, you must brush them and floss them daily, but you’ll never have to apply special creams and adhesives, as well as they’ll never need a filling or a root canal. Gum disease can compromise dental implants, even though they can never decay.
Maintaining good oral hygiene and regularly visiting the dental office for professional cleanings are key to the longevity of your dental implants. As the designers intended, these practices can ensure that your dental implants last a lifetime. Think about it as for a long-term investment for the next 50 years of your life.
