Dental Implants

With all the improvements in the technology, especially in the dentistry, dental implants are representing the biggest achievement when it comes to tooth replacement.

Millions of people are suffering from tooth loss, mostly due to tooth decay, periodontal disease or in rare cases injury.

For long period, the only replacement of lost tooth or teeth was bridges or dentures, but today that era is finished and dental implants are the first choice when it comes to tooth replacement.

Dental implants were invented in 1952 by a Swedish orthopedic surgeon named Per-Ingvar Brånemark.

Nowadays, the implants are considered as a standard for replacing a missing tooth.

What are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are representing a replacement for a tooth root, as an option for replacing missing or diseased teeth. They offer comfort and stability and at the same time represent the closest thing to a natural tooth.

Source: www.dentalimplantsfriends.com

The implants have many benefits, and some of them are:

• Look and feel as your own teeth. Their appearance since their innovation till today was improved so much that now they are perfectly fusing with the jaw bone while making a permanent connection; same as a natural
• Improved speaking. We all are familiar with the problem with pronunciation after some dental restorations. With the dental implants the most critic restoration – dentures is solved perfectly. The denture is attached directly to the implants, which usually are mini implants (improved implants), that are not allowing slipping off the denture, and that enables you to speak in the same manner as with your own teeth.
• Because the implants are connected directly to your jaw bone, the process of eating is the same as with natural teeth. With the dental implants, you can chew with confidence and at the same time without fear that any moment they will detach or fall from your mouth.
• The dental implants are bringing back the self-esteem and will return your lost smile immediately! Furthermore, the comfort is improved, so you will not feel the restorations in your mouth as artificial.
• The oral health is improved as well because the dental implants do not require reducing of other teeth, so this way your own teeth are not even touched and the oral hygiene can be kept easily.
• Implants are made of titanium, which is long lasting material. So if you decide to have implants, you made the right choice because the durability is granted! With good oral hygiene, they can stay in your mouth for a lifetime!

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So to sum it up, dental implants are artificial replacements for natural tooth roots. They can be used in the lower and the upper jaw as well.

The benefits from them are remarkable and they cannot even be compared with the conventional way of dental replacements such as bridges or dentures.

How do the Dental Implants work?

The implants are fused into the jawbone, and at the same time, they are providing the most stable support for artificial teeth. All dental restorations placed on implants will not slip or move because they are fixed in the jaw. This characteristic is really important while eating or speaking.

The majority of the people are having problems with the adjustment of new crowns, bridges or dentures. That problem while using implants as the anchor is not existing. For the conventional way of one tooth replacement requires making a bridge that needs to be attached to healthy teeth that need to be prepared, so they can hold the bridge and while replacing the missing tooth. The advantage of the implants is that there is no need of preparation of healthy teeth in the mouth because the implant goes directly into the jawbone as root replacement and on top, the crown is placed.

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Some requirements need to be satisfied before even thinking about placing implants. The main requirement is having healthy gums. Without possession of healthy gum, the implants can’t be placed into your mouth. Adequate quantity of jawbone that can support the implant is the second requirement that is “must” patient to possess so the dental implant can fuse in a proper way to the bone and not be a loose one.

When it comes to the type of placement of implants, two types of implants are considered to be safe for applying into patients, and they have a different way of placement. Endosteal implants are the first type which is safe for positioning into patients, and they are surgically implanted into the bone. Subperiosteal implants are consist of a metal frame that goes just below the gum tissue, as well they are implanted by the oral surgeon, and just the drilling into the bone is less.

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The newest innovation that belongs to the endosteal placement of the implants are the mini dental implants.

The mini dental implants have the same structure as the regular ones only that are smaller. The size of the regular implant is 3.4 to 5.8 mm wide while the mini implants are with 1.8 to 3.3. mm diameter and long 10 to 15 mm. By reducing the size of the new mini implants the benefits that come with the implants are not lost. More importantly, the size reduction really benefits the implant procedure. as well the required bone for the position of dental implants is reduced, so in almost every patient the mini implants can be placed.

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The best part about the mini implants is that they can be installed in only one visit with local anesthesia and none sutures.

Placing the dental implants

The placement of the implants can be done by an oral surgeon, periodontist or a general dentist that has training with implant placement. Depending on the type of the implant, they can be placed in only one visit (mini implants), or the conventional one, which takes few visits to the dentist. While placing the implants, there are few steps that need to be followed by every dentist.

As we mentioned before, there is a criterion that every patient needs to fulfill. Most of the people are good candidates for implants. Enough jawbone and healthy gust is just one criterion for dental implant placement. The implants are not recommended for smokers, people with autoimmune diseases, people that are undergoing a radiotherapy and people that have uncontrolled diabetes.

The first step after arriving at the dental office is checking the oral structures in the mouth. A dental professional will do a full examination of the current oral condition and at the same time, you will get an answer wheatear you are a suitable patient for implants. This step can speed up with sending full mouth x-ray to your dentist, so he or she can check the bone structure that you are possessing, and will give you a straight answer if you are suitable to get implants or not.

The implants are used for replacing of missed tooth that was extracted because of decay or was infected with the periodontal disease, so they needed to be extracted. However, the implants can be positioned at the same time after tooth extraction. However, if you have infection into your bones, the procedure of dental implanting needs to be postponed for several months.

For the patients that don’t have enough bone for supporting the implant, it is possible to build up bone into the area where the implant needs to be positioned. This procedure is called bone grafting, and after it is done the patient needs to wait from 4 to 8 months before implants placement.

The second step is placing the implants. Most of them can be placed in a two-step process. Some implants can be placed in just one visit.

The two-step procedure, as the name says, is done in 2 visits.  For this procedure, you need to take antibiotics and painkillers before the procedure. The dentist will apply local anesthesia. Or the patients can be fully sedated if they wish to do so.

For placing the implant the dentist will do small cut (incision) in your gums to expose the bone. After that, the dentist will drill a hole into the bone and place the implant into it. After implant placement, an x-ray will be taken, so the dentist can see the position of the position of the implant. After confirmation, that the implant is in the right place, the gum will be stitched. The time required for the dental implant usually takes 1 hour for 1 implant.

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 After the procedure, the patient can feel small pain, so painkillers and antibiotics will be prescribed from the dentist. You need to follow the instruction given by the dentist, such as:

• Don’t spit, suck and NO SMOKING! All these can cause blood clots and slow the healing
• Only soft food needs to be eaten, not to injure the gums
• You should not clean the implant area, but the rest of the tooth and mouth should be cleaned normally. You can use antibacterial rinse for cleaning implant area.

After 7 to 10 days the stitches need to be removed. After placing the implant, it takes few months for the healing of the jaw. Usually, the implants stay hidden under the gum.

The second procedure, after the healing of the gum, is in covering the implants, with a small cut under anesthesia. The protective screw will be replaced with metal healing cap, on which the dental crown will be placed. When the implant is uncovered, the next that comes is just placing the dental crown, or if is planned, dentures that need to be placed on top of the implants.

The good news is that the traditional implants are not the only option available. Mini dental implants are the biggest boom that changed the conventional implants. The time required for positioning the mini dental implants is only one visit.

The size of the mini implants, as we mentioned before, is half of the traditional one, which means less bone loss and less drilling.

The placement procedure for mini implants is totally different from the traditional. They can be placed into the jawbone in one day – one visit to the dentist. If the positioning of the implants is planned for caring dentures than usually 4 implants are positioned in the lower jaw (mandibula).

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First, with the assistance of diagnostic tools, the dentist marks the locations for placing the implants. After marking follows the drilling of small holes into the tissue. After the holes are created, the implants are positioned with drivers and wrenches.

Once the implants are placed, immediately can be loaded with the denture, because the healing process of the new mini implants is incomparable shorter than the one while placing traditional implants.

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Mini dental implants can be placed by a general dentist because they require a minimally invasive procedure that doesn’t obligate just oral surgeon to place the implants. While many patients so far weren’t good candidates for implants because of the non-adequate bone, that problem with the mini implants is solved. It’s simple, for smaller implants the required bone is lower. So every patient that wasn’t good candidate for the conventional implants now is matching one for the mini implants.

How to care for your dental implants?

The cleaning of the implants should be performed with a medium toothbrush, and the brushing should be regular (morning and in the evening). Don’t forget to clean the teeth and the construction of the implant with interdental brush and bridge and implant floss. Antibacterial liquid should be used on a daily basis, twice a day.

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Conclusion:

The dental implants are the unique prosthetic replacement which gives the patient the same feeling as having a natural tooth. The bone integration of the implant is the main reason that gives the natural tooth feeling. Chewing, as well as talking with the implant, is done in the same manner as is with the natural ones; without any difference or limitation.

The new mini implant has changed the conventional one that requires a lot of time for healing. Getting a lost tooth, and a crown, or getting all new denture in few days is a reality now.

Dental Care Macedonia for their offers to their patients a perfect package that includes 4 mini implants and acrylic removable prosthetic for best price worldwide. Check our latest promotions and bring back your lost teeth in 3 to 5 days. Schedule your appointment TODAY and bring back your smile in just a few days!