Implantology
Dental Implants
Implants are structures that replace missing teeth. Using a screw-like instrument, the surgeon inserts an implant, called a crown, into the jawbone that acts as an anchor for the artificial tooth.
A device called an abutment connects the artificial tooth to the dental implant.
The crown is custom-fitted to the patient’s mouth and matched to the color of the tooth. Crowns look, feel, and function like natural teeth. Implants have several advantages over dentures, which are removable artificial teeth.
Implant:
- More natural and comfortable
- High success rate
- Improve chewing function
- Reduces the risk of caries forming in adjacent teeth.
- Improves bone preservation in areas of tooth loss
- lead to decreased sensitivity of adjacent teeth
- No need to take it out and clean it every night
Implant-Supported Bridges
Implant-supported bridges are very similar to traditional bridges. However, instead of being supported by crowns placed over adjacent teeth, implant-supported bridges are attached to small titanium posts embedded in the jaw.
The number of posts placed depends on the size of the bridge. While standard dental bridges can prevent most problems associated with tooth loss, implant-supported bridges have some advantages.
Traditional bridges are supported by adjacent teeth. These healthy teeth must be prepped before the bridge can be cemented. Using implants to attach a bridge means you don’t have to grind down healthy teeth to replace missing teeth.
Dental bridge advantages:
- More likely to be insured
- Does not require bone grafting or invasive surgery
- Typically lower initial cost than dental implants
- Usually, only needs two visits to the dentist over a period of several weeks.
Sinus Lift
A sinus lift is a surgical procedure performed when a maxillary molar (back tooth) is missing or needs to be extracted, but there is not enough bone to hold an implant.
This procedure allows dental implants to be inserted even if there is not enough bone in the upper jaw. During surgery, the floor of the maxillary sinus is lifted and the space is filled with a bone substitute material.
Over time, the bone graft material hardens and integrates with the natural bone, promoting bone growth and improving bone density.
Factors that contribute to bone deficiency include:
- Bone loss due to tooth loss:
- The bone structure may be lost due to periodontal disease (periodontal disease).
- Due to the structure of the skull, the dorsal side of the upper jaw naturally has less bone than the lower jaw.
- You were born with a thin jawbone.
- The maxillary sinus is naturally too close to the maxillary region. The shape and size of the sinuses vary from person to person and may increase with age.
Bone Grafting
Bone grafting is also called “bone augmentation”. Bone grafting is a highly successful and safe surgical procedure to replace missing bone in the jaw. Bone grafting is generally performed when there is not enough natural bone in the jaw to hold the implant.
This procedure allows dental implants to be placed even if there is not enough natural bone. Bone grafting can be done in both the maxilla and mandible. Bone grafting is commonly performed when the jawbone height and bone thickness are insufficient to support a dental implant.
Factors that contribute to bone deficiency include:
- Bone loss due to tooth loss
- Bone loss due to the long-term wearing of dentures.
- The bone structure may be lost due to periodontal disease (periodontal disease).
- You may be born with a thin jawbone.
- Facial injuries and trauma.
- Bone infection.
- Developmental disorders of teeth.
- Airing of the maxillary sinus (enlargement of the sinus due to resorption of the maxillary bone).