Dental implants technology has given your dentist an almost perfect tool to replace a single missing tooth or multiple missing teeth. Dental implants can help restore a worn down smile in just a few visits. Tooth loss has far reaching affects on our lives. We can encounter trouble speaking, biting, chewing and even feel self conscious about our smile and appearance.Dental implants are an artificial tooth root (constructed out of titanium with a special coating) that a periodontist or oral surgeon places into your jaw. Dental implants give support for dental restorations that can replace a single tooth or group of teeth. Dental implants can replace a single tooth, support multiple teeth as a bridge, or support a denture (allowing for greater comfort and security).

Dental implants are an ideal option for people in generally good oral health who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, injury, tooth fracture or tooth decay. Dental implants are actually a more conservative than traditional crowns and bridges, since dental implants do not cut down healthy teeth or rely on adjacent teeth for support.

Dental implants require sufficient bone structure, and good overall health. This allows you the best prognosis for ideal oseointegration, (the way bone fills in around the implant for strength). Dental implants are intimately connected with the underlying bone and gum tissues in the mouth. So, proper fit, good occlusion, and excellent oral hygiene are necessary  qualities for long term success. With dental technique and dental material technology advances, dental bone grafts are now more successful than ever and can be used to augment your natural bone.

Periodontal disease, diabetes, bleeding problems, etc. can cause difficulty in placement, healing and long term success of the dental implants. Be honest with your dentist regarding any health issues so that the proper steps can be taken to give you the best chance of short term as well as long term dental implant success. There is an increased risk of dental implant failure in patients who are smokers or tobacco users. For this reason, dental implants are frequently placed only after a patient has stopped smoking.

Pros Of Dental Implants

–Cosmetics. Dental implant restorations, (crowns and bridges) are matched to your existing teeth. The only two people in the world who should know you have dental implants should be you and your dentist.

–Stability. Traditionally, many patients opted for removable dentures when missing multiple teeth. This led to compromises in esthetics and function. Dental implants can replace individual teeth but can also be used as support for a removable denture. This makes them as stable as your own natural teeth.

–Maintain Dental Health And Youthful Appearance. Dental implants due to intimate connection with surrounding bone have the ability to help to maintain bone levels of the jaws. This will allow your face to maintain its natural structure as long as possible. Gives you a more youthful appearance.

–No Worries. A well integrated dental implant is completely stable so you won’t have to worry about them falling out, rocking, or not feeling stable enough to eat what you want. Although dental implants can have complications, they are few and far between. You will never need a root canal on a dental implant nor will you ever get tooth decay.

–Longevity. Dental implants have an over 98% success rate and should (with proper care) last a lifetime.

–Cost. Initially, many think that dental implants are way too costly. Think about these facts, replacing 1 tooth with an implant is only slightly more expensive than a cemented bridge. Bridges generally last at maximum 10-20 years if you are extremely diligent with maintaining your oral hygiene.

The implant will not decay, and usually will last a lifetime with care. In the long run, it is less expensive and does not further damage surrounding teeth.

Cons Of Dental Implants

It is quite rare for a dental implant to fail but when it does the dental implant must be removed. Then re evaluated as to why the failure occurred and to see if a new dental implant may be placed. Some of the common reasons for dental implant failure include:

–Failed Integration of Dental Implants – This occurs when the bone does not grow and fuse between the threads of the implant. This fusion of bone to dental implant is called osseointegration. If this does not occur, the dental implants will not function properly,will become uncomfortable, become loose, or come out completely.

To reduce this risk, your dental surgeon will evaluate the quality and density of the jaw bone prior to surgery. This will help to only place dental implants in areas where there is a highly predictable success rate. If osseointegration does not take place, the dental implants can be removed, and surgery can be attempted again once the area has fully healed.

–Infection –  This is the #1 complication of dental implant surgery. The surrounding bone and gums can get infected during the surgical procedure. This can happen due to non-sterile technique, a contaminated implant, poor healing ability (diabetic, smoker, osteoporosis medications), or pre-existing infection that was not diagnosed.

The most likely time for this to occur would be during the surgical placement of the dental implant into the bone. Implant infection can occur after placement as well. Poor hygiene, too much force placed on the implant, or excess cement can cause the support tissue to breakdown.

Implant infection is a condition referred to as peri-implantitis. Peri-implantitis is characterized by inflammation or swelling of the tissues surrounding the implant area. Peri-implantitis can also present as a secondary infection later on is a form of periodontal disease that can lead to inflammation, bone loss and implant failure if not treated quickly and properly. Although implant infections are usually caused by the presence of bacteria during or immediately after the oral surgery for the placement of the dental implants, an implant infection can occur months or years after surgery.

–Post Surgical Bleeding – Some bleeding following surgery is normal and should be expected for about 1-2 days. Biting gently on a gauze pad placed over the surgery area for 30 minutes should normally stop the bleeding. Excessive bleeding is not normal and you should notify your dentist immediately if you have concerns about your new implants.

–Damage To Surrounding Tissues – Implant complications related with surgical errors affecting adjacent teeth, nerves or sinus are directly related to the experience and skills of the dentist or surgeon. An experienced and skilled implant dentist is able to see potential problems by examining x-rays or CT scan (computer tomography), design the proper surgical plan for ideal location and angle, and execute it successfully without complications.

Even with the most skilled implant dentist there is always a possibility of implant complications. The complications can be limited by choosing an implant dentist with the skills and experience necessary to handle any complications if they arise.

-Rejection – An extremely rare complication for implants but it has been noted in the research literature. The dental implants can sometimes be viewed as a foreign body.

–Unusable Dental Implants – An implant that has successfully integrated with bone, but the area where it is placed or the extreme angle of placement makes it unable to be restored properly.

Conclusion

Dental implants are the procedure of choice in modern dentistry to replace a single tooth or multiple teeth. They have the ability to restore a youthful appearance as well as restore function that might have been lost otherwise.

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