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What is dental implant?
A dental implant is a titanium screw that
placed into the jaw bone for attaching
artificial teeth firmly to the bone. Dental
implant acts as a replacement for the roots
of your teeth. It acts as an anchor for a
false tooth or a set of false teeth. They
are biocompatible substitutes for lost
natural teeth, which means that there is no
body reaction to the implants. When a dental
implant restoration is perfectly
constructed, neither the patient nor anyone
else should have any hint that an implant is
there, all people should see is the "tooth".
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Who is candidate for dental implants?
Anyone in good general and oral health who
wants to replace missing teeth. You must
have enough bone volume in the missing teeth
to provide for the anchorage of the
implants. If a patient doesn't have enough
bone to support a dental implant, bone
grafts can be placed. There are some health
conditions that warrant special
consideration: Certain chronic diseases such
diabetic persons with A1C hemoglobin over 7
or vascular disorders, alcohol abuse and
heavy smoking may complicate implant
treatment. After careful evaluation of your
health history, we will alert you to any
conditions that may affect your treatment.
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Who should see you about dental implants?
Since dental implantology is not a
registered specialty, almost every type of
dentist, specialist or general practitioner,
works in this area of dentistry and there
are many outstanding specialist and general
dentists providing dental implant
treatments.
If you decide that dental implants are for
you, then a qualified and trained dentist or
oral surgeon can place the implants for you.
My suggestion is to stay away from
unqualified and inexperienced dental
surgeons who are not mastered the art of
implantology yet.
TAKING A COURSE IN IMPLANTOLOGY IS NOT
ENOUGH TO QUALIFY A DENTIST AS AN
IMPLANTOLOGIST. EXPERIENCE, EXPERIENCE AND
EXPERIENCE IS VERY NECESSARY. THER IS NO
SUBSTITUTE FOR EXPERIENCE, SO BEWARE OF THE
IMPLANTOLOGIST WHO HAS DONE ONLY A FEW
IMPLANTS. EXPERIENCE DOES NOT ASSURE
QUALITY. Unfortunately, not all those who
call themselves implantologist actually have
the qualifications worthy of that title. An
implantologist must be a dentist! But, a
dentist does not have to be an
implantologist to work with dental implants.
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What is the success rate of dental implants?
Improvements in procedures and materials
have given implants a ten year average
success rate of 94%. This figure is over all
and depends very much on where the implants
are placed and what they will be called upon
to do. The best case scenario is the
placement of implants in the front portion
of the lower jaw. Here success can be 98%
and even more. In other areas of the mouth,
success rates can be varies. According to
figures that we have today, the success of
implants in the front upper and back lower
of jaw can be in 90-95% range. Success rate
of implants in the back part of upper jaw is
anywhere from 85-95%.
The success rate in my practice for the past
five years has been 98+% for all implants
placed.
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How can dental implant help me?
Dental implant may offer solutions for the
patient who:
-
Has lost teeth and doesn't want
removable partial dentures
-
Is now wearing a partial or full
denture, and would prefer a fixed bridge
or fixed-removable denture
-
Cannot chew comfortably and efficiently
with conventional dentures
-
Has lost a single tooth and wants a
single tooth implants rather than a
bridge
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Why have dental implants become so popular?
As our life span increase, the need for some
type of permanent dental replacement system
becomes very important to our overall
health. Dentures and removable bridges have
obvious problems: they are loose and
instable. Implants can provide people with
dental replacements that are both functional
and esthetic. The demand we always there, we
just needed the tools to fulfill that
demand.
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What causes failure of dental implants?
Circumstances that may result in failure of
implant are:
-
Local Problems: Bacteria can accumulate
around a tooth. Bacteria can cause
inflammation and infection of the gum
and bone tissue. This can proceed to
bone loss and loss of the implant. For
long term success, implants must be kept
clean. Other local factors can result
from improper use of cleaning
instruments, clinching and grinding of
the teeth and smoking.
-
Systemic Problems: Metabolic disease
such as Diabetes, immune suppressive
disorders, steroid therapy, HIV, severe
osteoporosis and problems with
absorption of nutrients are but a few of
the medical problems that may influence
the success of implant. Overall, any
condition which prevents the body from
repairing bone or other supporting
tissue can result in the eventual loss
of bone and gum support for the implant.
Condition such as metabolic bone
disorders, collagen disease, drug use
and addiction, or any debilitating
disease can prevent the body from
repairing itself. This does not
necessarily mean that implants should
not be used. Discussion with your
physician is sometimes needed to
determine whether any medical problems
would prohibit implant treatment.
-
Overloading: when the mastication forces
which are being applied to the implant
are beyond physiological limits. For
example, if a very large tooth with a
long crown is being supported by a short
implant, or a very large prosthesis is
supported by an inadequate numeber of
implants.
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Can failed implants be replaced?
In unlikely event dental implant do fail or,
as some people say, they are rejected. In
many instances, they can be replaced with
another implant, usually of a slightly
larger size. Failure rates should be about
1-2%.
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What can go wrong with dental implants?
There are really not too many things that
can go wrong with dental implants. They can
fail to integrate into the bone and come
out. They can fracture or break. There can
be problems with the connection between the
implant and the abutment. There can be an
infection or an inflammatory condition in
the soft tissue and sometimes in the bone as
a result of the implant placement. All of
these complications are rare and usually
account for less than 5% of all dental
implant treatment and can usually be
corrected by an expert and qualified dental
surgeon.
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Does it hurt to have dental implants placed?
The actual procedure to surgically place a
dental implant is done under local
anesthesia and is generally not at all
painful. Many patients report implant
surgery less troublesome than having an
impacted wisdom tooth removed. When the
anesthesia wears off about three or four
hours later, you might expect some mild
discomfort. The level of discomfort is quite
different from patient to patient, but most
patients don't have significant problems.
With modern anesthesia and close attention
to post operative care you can expect
minimal discomfort.
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What are the chances of rejection?
The titanium alloy doesn't create immune
response. Implants are biocompatible
substitutes for lost natural teeth, which
means that there is no body reaction to the
implants. The immune system will not
recognize the implants in your mouth and
will not reject them.
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How long will my implant last?
Some implants are still functioning
successfully after 20 years. Depend on many
factors such as bone quality, oral health
conditions, maintenance and regularly check
up. As with any artificial replacement in
the human body, no promises or guarantees
can be made as to longevity of the implant
or of the implant supported appliance.
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What about bone graft?
You should have enough bone volume to
support a proper size implant. Sometimes
when a dental implant is placed, it is
necessary to build up the bone in the area
to insure success. The procedure of building
up the bone is known as Bone Graft. Bone
grafting is a common procedure in implant
dentistry. In order to do bone grafting, we
need a source of bone to place in the site.
The bone that we use can be one of three
types. The best bone is bone that is taken
from the patient itself. This bone can be
taken from different area of the mouth or
collected in our suction apparatus as we
preparing the sites for implants.
Another very common source of bone is bone
taken from cadavers. This bone is harvested
under very strict supervision at several
bone banks and it is used in many dental and
medical procedures. The third type of bone
is a synthetic type of bone taken such as
calcium phosphate and hydroxide apatite.
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Is age a deterrent to implant treatment?
Age is not a deterrent to implant treatment.
Health is the determining factor. There is
really no preferred age for a orthopedic
prosthesis replacement or a coronary artery
bypass, and the same goes for implant. As
long as a person is in good health and is
important to someone, including him or her,
one should strive to improve the quality of
one's life.
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Will my implant teeth function as well as my
own teeth?
Dental implants are the most natural thing
to imitate tooth function. Today's implant
treatment enable you to have your teeth
look, feel like your own. Even though others
will be unaware you have dental implants,
many patients are so pleased, and they tell
everyone they know.
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How long does complete treatment take?
The protocol that was originally developed
clearly states that we must wait three
months in lower jaw and six months in upper
jaw before we can begin to construct the new
dental prosthesis. Today we believe that it
is possible in selected patients to
accelerate the healing time. We are even
loading implants in very specific situation
right away which called "immediate loading".
If bone grafting is necessary, further time
may be needed. We will discus your options
with you and advise you of the time
requirements.
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Do I have to go without my teeth while the
implants are bonding to my jaw bone?
Once again, the original protocol called for
patients to go without wearing their
dentures for at least two weeks after
implant placement. Over the years, this has
been modified considerably and in most
situations, patients leave the office
wearing their teeth the day the implants are
placed. Every patient and procedure is
evaluated separately and there might
occasionally be a recommendation that a
patient go without their prosthesis for a
short period of time. You may also have to
be on a soft diet for a period of time after
implants are placed.
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What is the difference between Mini Dental
Implant and regular implant?
When we refer to a regular implant, we are
referring to an implant that is
approximately more than 3.0mm in diameter
and is placed in a prepared site in the
bone. These implants actually come in a
variety of shapes and sizes but they all
require drilling of a site and placement of
the implant into that site.
Mini implants have a diameter less than 3mm.
they are placed in bone as a self tapping
entity which means that a site is not
prepared. These implants seem to rely on
mechanical stability and there are no
studies that show any integration with the
bone. The most usage of mini implant is for
stabilizing a lower denture and as temporary
implant to be removed at a later time.
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Are there problems associated with smoking?
Smoking has extremely harmful poisons such
as nicotine, hydrogen sciaenid and carbon
monoxide for all oral tissue, especially
when implants are present. The most
important issue during implant procedure and
after that is the power of bone and gum
healing which significantly reduced in
smoking persons. Heat from smoking is
retained in the metal. Smoking robs the bone
and other tissues of vital nutrients and
minerals needed for healing and maintaining
the healthy bone connection to the implant.
Smoking also decreases blood supply and
oxygen to the bone and gums tissues that are
next to the implant. So, to keep the
supporting bone around the dental implants
healthy, the implant patient should not
smoke.
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What about "teeth in an Hour"?
With new technology, used by expert implant
dentist, you can have missing teeth replaced
immediately, with no waiting time. If you
have adequate bone density, you may be able
to receive your new tooth implants in one
appointment, and you may be able to eat on
those teeth right away. Best of all, no
recovery period is needed after treatment,
so you can return to your active life
immediately.
I picked my patients very carefully to use
only the ones who I felt would lend
themselves to these techniques and have
generally avoided the failures that some of
my colleagues experience.
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What about the cost of dental implants?
We are charging patients according to the
complexity of the overall procedure. The
cost of implant treatment depends upon the
number and type of implants placed and the
type of prosthesis needed. In case of bone
grafting and augmentation, an increasing of
expense may be considered. Implant
treatment, which vary in complexity and
extent, depending on the patient’s dental
condition and requirements, can involve a
significant investment. However, the benefit
of having chewing efficiency restored and
increasing life quality, preserving jaw bone
and not having to prepare sometimes healthy
teeth for a bridge should be well worth the
expense.
If you would like more detailed information
and get an idea of the range of fees for
dental implants,
contact us
for a free consultation.
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What kind of follow-up care is needed?
The two most important care is: first, good
oral hygiene and second, frequent check-up.
your implants can fail for the same reasons
that your natural teeth are lost. Poor oral
hygiene is the greatest cause of implant
failure. The accumulation of microbial
around dental implants causes an increased
concentration of bacteria and destructive
consequences of inflammation and infection.
This will lead to gum recession and loss of
the supporting and marginal bone around
implant. So, excellent oral hygiene is
necessary and vital to long term success of
the implant.
Frequent check-up is an important part of
your commitment to success of your implant
procedure. We will instruct you for
maintenance and proper use of oral hygiene
aids. In the morning and before bedtime, you
must brush and floss around the implants and
the supported appliance. One of the best
oral hygiene aids is continuing usage of
mouth wash. In your frequent visits, we
check the health of the supporting bone
tissue by clinical examination and x-ray
every six months. Another advantages of
frequent check-up is in-time recognize of
problems associated with your problem and
treat them.
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