Dental implants are becoming more popular in today’s dental society for a number of reasons. Implants are utilized to offer patients a foundation for newly restored teeth where natural teeth are missing or have been extracted. The dental implant offers the patient the opportunity to regain normal function of the tooth without being forced to resort to a bridge or a denture. However, dental implants are used to stabilize removable partial dentures and full dentures by providing an attachment to the jaw bone. If multiple teeth are missing and the patient doesn’t want a removable denture, multiple dental implants  can be used to anchor a permanent dental restoration – dental implant bridge. Dental implants are even being used in conjunction with orthodontics to move teeth. These are called TAD’s, transitional anchorage device, and they are removed following orthodontic therapy.

Benefits:

• The implant will osseointegrate (bond) with the existing bone.
• The new implant will support your teeth firmly and safely.
• Your new implants are esthetically pleasing
• You will no longer have pain during talking or eating
• The dental implant will prevent progressive bone loss
• Denture wearers will no longer complain of loose fitting dentures

Procedure

The tooth structure has two main sections, the root and the crown. The root is the section of the tooth that is below the gum-line. A dental implant acts as the restorative for this section of the tooth. The metal implant acts as an anchor in the jawbone. The first step of the procedure is surgical placement of the implant. Patients

Tooth Replacement Dental Implant

may or may not be sedated for this procedure. Oral and I.V Sedation are available. In addition to sedation, local anesthetic is used before the gum tissue is reflected and the dentist places the implant into the jawbone. Once this is achieved, the site is closed and sutured for final healing. Usually dental implants have no post-surgery pain associated with the procedure. This process can take from 30-90 minutes depending on the number of implants being placed. This implant is usually left untreated for a period of 3-6 months – in some cases the dental implant is immediately restored with a temporary dental restoration. During this time, the bone will grow around the implant in a process called osseointegration (bone bonding). Many temporary tooth solutions are available during this time period to allow for chewing and to preserve the cosmetic appearance of your smile. These include fixed temporary acrylic teeth or removable acrylic teeth.

The next step in the process is to attach an abutment to the tooth (loading of the implant). This is achieved by exposing the top of the implant and placing the abutment. This is the part of the implant that will support the final implant restoration.

Finally, an impression is taken of the implant and a final restoration is crafted. This restoration will be comfortable and cosmetically pleasing. Your completed implant will be fully functional, allowing you to resume normal activities.

Types of Final Implant Restorations:

1. Implant Crown – a permanent dental restoration made of porcelain which attaches to a single dental implant and replaces one tooth.
2. Implant Bridge – a permanent dental restoration made of porcelain which attaches to 2 or more dental implants and replaces 2 or more teeth.
3. Hybrid Implant Denture – a permanent dental restoration made of porcelain which replaces all of the top teeth or all of the bottom teeth and is supported by multiple implants.  Usually 6-10 dental implants are necessary.
4. Removable Implant Denture – a removable dental device which replaces all of the top teeth or all of the bottom teeth – requiring 2-8 implants.  These are usually made of a metal frame with acrylic teeth and gums.
5. Removable Implant Partial Denture – a removable dental device which replace part of the teeth in the arch – requiring at least 2 dental implants. These are usually made of a metal frame with acrylic teeth and gums.  The benefit of these over a traditional partial denture is that you don’t have ugly wires showing in your smile!

Additional Examples:

Dental Implant Replacing Fractured Front Tooth

Front tooth fractured off at the gum-line and all options were discussed with patient. Options included: 1) orthodontic extrusion of the tooth – the tooth is pulled on slowly so that more of the root is exposed and a crown can be placed on the tooth again. 2) removal of the tooth and a permanent bridge placement. 3) Removal of the tooth and a partial denture – no one likes these. 4) Immediate extraction and dental implant placement – this is what you see here. Patient healed with temporary crown on the dental implant restoration for 4 months prior to the fabrication of a permanent porcelain crown. He was very happy and never stopped smiling through the entire treatment.

Cracked tooth was extracted and replaced with a Dental Implant

Patient presented with cracked premolar all the way into the nerve and through both roots. This type of tooth fracture can not be treated with a root canal therapy or a crown – the tooth must be removed. The options for replacing this tooth included; 1) a dental implant and implant crown, 2) a fixed or permanent porcelain bridge, or 3) a removable one tooth removable partial also known as a Nesbitt partial. Patients general don’t like removable teeth, so this patient choose to replace this missing tooth with a dental implant. Dental implant was placed immediately following the extraction along with a bone graft to fill any voids around the newly inserted dental implant. A final implant crown was fabricated 6 months following implant placement.