Dental Implants

What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are metal anchors placed in the jaws underneath the gum tissue to support crowns and bridges where natural teeth are missing. These artificial or metal anchors then act as "roots" of our natural teeth which are now missing. Dental implants are actually placed ("implanted") into the jaw bone under the gum tissue. These implants are made from a space-age metal called titanium, which is readily accepted by the body, and artificial teeth that look like natural teeth are then attached to the implants. Accepted by the American Dental Association, dental implants have been used for many years, and hundreds of thousands have been placed. Due to a phenomenon known as "osteointegration" meaning that bone actually attaches itself to the implant, these anchors provide a strong foundation that allows people with missing teeth to chew efficiently and comfortably.

Who Needs Implants?
Anyone who is missing teeth and can benefit from increased chewing efficiency, and improved appearance or speech, is a candidate for dental implants. implants can be the solution when it has become difficult or impossible to wear a removable denture. Portions of the jaw that are missing due to an accident, disease, or birth defect can often be reconstructed using implants.

You are a candidate for dental implants if :

l. You have enough jaw bone, and dense enough bone, to secure the implants.

2. You do not have a disease or condition that interferes with proper healing after implant surgery (e.g. uncontrolled diabetes, or radiation/chemotherapy for treating cancer)

Discussion
A discussion with your oral and maxillofacial surgeon and restorative dentist (the dentist who will make your new teeth) will determine if you are a candidate for dental implants. As a rule, age is not a barrier to implant treatment if you are in good health. In fact, thousands of people of all ages are turning to dental implants to replace a single missing tooth, several teeth, or all teeth. THE KEY TO SUCCESS IS TO REMEMBER THE CONCEPT THAT DENTAL IMPLANTS ARE TRULY A TEAM EFFORT BETWEEN THE SURGEON, THE RESTORATIVE DENTIST, AND YOU, THE PATIENT.!!!!! The implant most commonly used is the endosteal implant which are similar in shape to the root of a natural tooth. These implants serve as a replacement for the roots of the missing teeth, an after placement into the jaws, become solidly anchored through a process called osteointegration. Another term that might aid in understanding is fusion of the bone to the implanted root or bony integration.

This office takes particular interest in the diagnosis and treatment of the implant patient. The preoperative evaluation is extremely important and will involve study models, x-rays, and in some instances, CT scans. We are able to reformat the CT Scan into 3-D views due to special soft-ware in our office. This will enable the "TEAM" to accurately evaluate not only where we need the new teeth but to know the size, angle and stress that the new teeth will require to give us the most long-term success. Patient education is also carried out with computer-enhanced video-tapes to aid in answering questions and for general information to make this relatively simple procedure quite pleasant. The ability to give our full denture patients 2 or more implants to aid in retaining their lower denture is particularly rewarding and has gone a long way in aiding the patients in diet, self-confidence, and cosmetic self-worth.

Maintaining your Implants and Restorations
This office, along with your restorative dentist, will schedule periodic check-up visits to make sure your sites are healthy and the implants and prosthesis are functioning properly. Just as important as regular professional care, however, is your own care of your implants and prosthetic crowns etc. Meticulous home oral hygiene is mandatory. Your family dentist and hygienist will give careful instructions on good oral hygiene and with good care, your implants should last for many years. In fact, current literature reports that 90 percent or more of implants have been successfully retained for up to 15-20 years.

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