IMPLANT DENTISTRY

What are dental implants?

A dental implant is a pure titanium (99,95%) screw meant to act as an artificial root in the jawbone where the natural tooth or teeth are missing

The reconstruction consists of two segments: one placed into the bone (the implant) and the other on top of the bone called the prosthetic abutment. The abutment serves as a base for a crown, bridge or denture. The treatment is conservative as compared to traditional bridgework, since implants do not require the sacrifice of adjacent teeth. When making a dental bridge, we need at least two teeth for support. Implant restoration has outstanding aesthetic and functional advantages as the patient does not have the feeling that something is “artificial” and soon forgets altogether that he has actually lost a tooth.

Advantages of prosthetic implants: since it replaces one tooth and not three as in case of bridges, the dental implant costs almost as a traditional metallic-ceramic crown

Tooth saving – Dental implants don't sacrifice the quality of your adjacent teeth like a bridge does because neighboring teeth are not altered to support the implant. Your healthy teeth are left untouched, a significant long-term benefit to your oral health.
Convenience – Dental implants will allow you to speak and eat with comfort and confidence. Implant supported crowns are fixed and they transmit the pressure of physiological mastication to the bone just like a natural tooth.

The success rate of dental implants is rather high (95% upper jaw and 90% lower jaw), if the patient displays a good general and local condition, good dental hygiene, and he doesn’t smoke or drink.

Not in the least, we should also take into consideration the doctor’s qualification in the field (mandatory an experienced specialist), as well as the equipment of the clinic where surgery is being performed (the operating room endowed with all the necessary equipment to perform surgery and pre- and post-surgery investigations) Since it is a pure surgical procedure, there are strict sterilization rules that need to be followed accordingly. Depending on your particular conditions and the type of implant, the dentist will sketch a treatment plan.

The duration of your treatment may span from several weeks to one year depending on its complexity. You and your doctor need to work together like a team in order to reach the desired aim.

Dental implants can replace one tooth, several or all your teeth. Bone quantity and quality are of seminal importance. If the bone is initially insufficient, then a procedure called bone augmentation is required. Depending on the case, it can be performed during the surgical insertion of the implants or independently. The doctor will choose the type of bone that needs to be augmented and, if necessary, will use a biological membrane to cover the bone transplant.