What are dental implants and how do they work?
A dental implant is a really good option as a permanent tooth replacement. What a dental implant is essentially, is a man-made root that's made out of metal, titanium, which then gets a tooth placed on top to replace a missing tooth.
How does the dental implants procedure go?
It's usually done in two steps. First, we install the man-made root. That's the first part, which is the dental implant surgery. Then, after a healing phase, we go in and put the actual tooth or the crown, the implant-supported crown, on top of that implant. And that's what gives you the replacement of the missing tooth that was there.
Who is a good candidate for dental implants?
When we're looking at dental implant candidates, those who generally qualify for dental implants would be patients who are over the age of 21, who have reasonably good health, and ideally don't smoke. The reason why we look at those three factors is you want to be over 21 because if we're younger than that, our body is still growing. That means that the implant might not be in the perfect position that it needs to be in, especially when we're looking at front implants. We want to make sure that everything looks really good with how the gums heal and the positioning of that implant.
Medically, diabetes is a big one that we look for. The issue with diabetes, especially if it's uncontrolled, is that you tend not to heal very well from surgeries. And that becomes a big problem when we do the dental implant because it might not actually integrate into the bone, and that can cause us to lose that implant in the future. The same thing goes for smoking as well. Unfortunately, that inhibits our immune system a little bit. Again, we're not as likely to recover as well from that surgery. Also, later down the road, smoking unfortunately is related to gum disease. Just like natural teeth, that can happen around implants and create a greater chance that you end up losing that dental implant.
Those would be the main things we're looking for regarding dental implants: age and health of who qualifies for this treatment. Aside from those factors, the other thing that we're looking for is the actual quality or density of the bone in that area. When we're missing teeth, unfortunately our body will start to resorb or basically the bone will start to shrink in the area where the tooth was. The problem is if we lose too much of that bone, it can make it very difficult for us to place an implant because an implant needs to be covered around by bone for it to be stable long-term. If there's not much, then we have to build it up with bone grafting, and this can become very complicated if the bone density and the quality is very poor from the beginning.
What is the difference between mini implants and full implants?
If we're looking at mini implants versus full implants, as the name suggests, the main difference is that mini implants are much smaller than your full implant. Mini implants, pros, and cons, because the implant is much smaller, it allows us to put those in situations where someone has been already missing a significant amount of bone, which can be very common in someone who, say, is a long-term denture wearer and has a lot of shrinkage of their bone. Mini implants could be an option to help to retain that denture for them. The con, though, of this is that because the implant is so small, there's not very much surface area for it to hold onto in the bone, and they don't tend to last as long. If we had enough bone, we definitely would want to choose that full implant because that's going to last much longer. So those would be the main differences between dental implants.
What is the dental implant process like from start to finish?
There are a couple of parts in terms of putting an implant in. The main thing we're looking at first is what our general timeline is going to be. Once we get that tooth taken out, generally we're going to have a three-month healing process so that the bone can start to form in that area. At that point, we would then look at going in and doing the actual implant surgery. What that's going to involve is getting a CBCT x-ray, which gives us a 3D image of the area. We're also going to take a 3D digital scan so that we can mock up what your tooth is going to look like and make sure we get that dental implant in the perfect position. You then would come into the office. We would place the implant in the site and do any bone grafting if we needed to at that point. Then we would leave it for four months to heal so that the bone can integrate around that implant, and it's solid and ready to go.
The next thing that we would look at doing is making you your implant-supported crown. That involves a couple of appointments where again, we'll take a digital scan so that we can send that to a laboratory, get that crown made up for you, and then put it in and you're good to go. So that's essentially the dental implant process and the steps for getting a dental implant.
What is my recovery time going to look like and what do I need to do after the appointments?
When we're looking at the surgery, generally the main thing is I always tell patients really getting the tooth out is the worst part of the procedure. Once you've done that, putting the implant in is pretty straightforward. Usually, I'm going to give a prescription for some antibiotics and a painkiller so that we can just manage the pain for the first few days. Generally, after that, patients are pretty pain-free and can go about their regular routine. The only thing we ask is that we avoid any hard foods or chewing anything directly on the area, especially if we've done a bone graft because that pressure can cause that graft to fail.
When we're looking at the actual crown delivery, the aftercare is very simple. You can pretty much start chewing on that implant crown right away. The overall procedure is very easy. There's very minimal pain, and we don't need to do any prescriptions or anything like that.
How long do dental implants last?
When we're looking at the dental implant lifespan, essentially once we've gone through that surgery and it has integrated into the bone, from that point forward, as long as you're taking good care of it, like any other tooth, brushing it and flossing it, keeping it healthy, it should hopefully last you the rest of your life. When we're looking at dental implant maintenance tips, the main thing is that you come in for regular cleanings so that we can really get underneath that dental implant crown and keep that area healthy. The main reason that we would end up losing that dental implant is if we did have some gum disease that formed around it and it got infected, and then we had to remove it. Some other tips for taking care at home, just like you would a natural tooth, again brushing and flossing like I mentioned before. The other thing I like to recommend as well is that patients get a water flosser so that they can really clean around underneath the gums and keep that implant healthy long term.
Well, I hope I was able to answer some of your questions about dental implants. If you do have any further questions or you are ready to take action and look at getting a dental implant done, feel free to give us a call at (204) 817-6768.
Be free to chew, chomp, and bite again with Dental Implants!
Have you experienced tooth loss from decay, gum disease, or a sports injury? Say hello to a permanent solution with dental implants! Whether you need a single tooth replaced or full arch restorations, we have the treatment to give you your smile back.
Why Might I Need Dental Implants?
- Replacing one or more missing teeth
- Restoring your ability to chew
- Helping to maintain the shape of your face
- Keeping your surrounding teeth from shifting out of place