Dental Implants
Dental Implants are one of Modern Medicine’s most revolutionary Dental treatments which have been
successful since the very first titanium implants( as we know them now) were placed successfully in
humans in 1965!
Interesting facts about Dental Implants-
Did you know the oldest evidence of dental implants comes from China from approx 2000 BC?
These were in their most primitive form as bamboo pegs and used to replace missing teeth.
There were even sea-shell implants found fused to the jaw-bone of Mayan skeletons dated 600 ACE, in an archaeological dig.
The human race has been fascinated with trying to solve the enigma of replacing missing teeth with something permanent and fixed since time in memoriam.
With whole teeth regeneration using stem cells in its infancy in the research stage, there may be even bigger and better options available over the next few decades.
Till then, the option of replacing a missing tooth with a Dental Implant remains the most viable
and successful option.
As soon as a tooth is taken out , this is what happens…
- Shrinkage of jaw bone
- Shrinkage of gum tissue
- Loss of support to the other teeth (meaning extra loading of standing teeth causing excessive wear & tear)
- Loss of aesthetics of your smile, if front tooth
- Loss of biting efficiency and support, if back tooth
- Loss of support of facial muscles and facial fullness
To summarise- Premature Ageing; it starts as soon as you lose a tooth, and of course, the greater the number of teeth lost, the more this effect!
This can all be prevented with Dental Implants only as Dental Implants simulate the natural tooth most closely by having a ‘root’ replacement - the Titanium cylinder ,that integrates with the jaw-bone and conducts all the stimulus to the jaw-bone to help maintain bone and gum levels.
Replacing a missing tooth with a denture or bridge does not unfortunately solve the main problems as listed above.
- Single Tooth Implant- a single Titanium post is placed in the jaw-bone and allowed to fuse for 3 months on an average, at the end of which a crown is placed over the top.
- Implant retained Overdenture- You may choose to make your denture ( esp lower denture) more secure by hooking it over locators which are fixed attachments over Implants. As an example, a full lower denture would need about 2-3 implants placed in the lower jaw for a denture which rocks.
- All on 4 or All on 6-Full Arch/Jaw Implants- You can choose to have an entire jaw of missing or failing teeth replaced by just 4 to 6 Implants which support a full mouth fixed bridge. The biggest advantage of this type of treatment is that you get your “teeth-in-a-day”.
Main Advantages of All-on-4/ full arch Implants
- More Cost Effective over the long term if you have many failing teeth and their long term prognosis is not good. Instead of having to traditionally replace each tooth for an Implant; an entire jaw can be replaced with the help of 4 -6 Implants.
- Bone Grafting can usually be avoided and so the procedure can keep be kept simpler and more predictable
- You leave with a full set of teeth in one day-there are no multiple surgeries or gaps left in the mouth to allow healing.
Mostly Anyone!
Most people who have a missing tooth or many teeth which are now failing from decay, being heavily broken, gum disease or an accident can have Dental Implants placed successfully, as long as they are not currently a smoker and are over 18 yrs of age (at this age, the jaw has stopped growing).
There are no upper age limits.
There are only very limited medical health conditions which make the procedure a bit more complex, for eg if you were on a certain type of blood thinner or bone densifying medication. Your dentist would do a complete assessment in your first consultation and organise a small CT scan which is a 3D X-ray that allows them to see bone levels and quality. They would then advise on any bone augmentation if required. These days, any additional bone required to allow procedure to be successful is quite easy to plan and cater for.
Single Implant placements can be done very simply in the dental chair with the actual surgical procedure not taking more than 20-30 mins.
Multiple placements take longer but here at Taunton Dental and Implant Centre, we have the provision of Sedation, should you so wish.
Majority of patients report that they find Implant placement a lot easier than having teeth out as there is no tugging or pulling!
The treatment is carried out under a local anaesthetic injection just the same as for most dental
treatments.
Studies indicate a success rate of 90 to 95 percent over 10 years. The main factor in continued success is that the oral hygiene around the implants is well maintained.
There are certain people who will reject an Implant or for whom the implant may never “osseointegrate” with their jaw-bone. The incidence of this quite low due to good case-selection and robust techniques. Here at Taunton Dental and Implant Centre, we are so confident of our treatments, if this did happen when your implant is first placed, we would cover it- we would try and correct the issue and do a second placement free of charge for you.