Dental Implants are artificial root replacements. Dental implants provide a permanent solution for tooth loss. Dental implants are often used to support a crown, a bridge and a permanent hybrid denture (All on 4).
Tooth loss can lead to changes in chewing pattern, bone loss, gum recession, gum disease.
Dental implants can not only help raise self-confidence but also help prevent and remedy more serious health problems caused by tooth loss. A dental implant can even be used to stabilize dentures in order to reduce gum irritation and provide better stability. Osseointegration means fusion of a dental implant to the bone of the jaw. Osseointegration is a crucial process in ensuring the success of an implant, without it the implant would fail. A dental implant is comprised of a titanium root and a crown .
During the placement of an implant,a pilot drill is used first to create a hole into the jaw site. Then is slowly and carefully widened to create space for the implant’s placement. A protective cover screw is placed over the implant to allow for the osseointegration and healing process. Several months after this anchorage has healed, the protective cover is discarded and a temporary crown is put on top of the implant as a template to allow the gum to grow and naturally reshape itself. Finally, the temporary crown is then replaced with a permanent crown and the procedure is complete.
Studies have shown that 95 percent of lower jaw implants and 90 percent of upper jaw implants are successful. The reason upper jaw implants show a slightly lower success rate is due to the fact that the lower jaw bone is denser than the upper jaw .
There can be no guarantee that an implant procedure will be successful. Although the cause for the failure of an implant can usually be found in the inability of the osseointegration to complete, there may be other reasons attributing to implant failure. If an implant is poorly placed, osseointegration might not take place, the implant could break or even become infected, (as do natural teeth) or a crown may simply become loose.
Poor oral hygiene can cause peri-implantitis to develop around the implants , which is equal to periodontitis around natural teeth.