Implantology

Dental implants are titanium screws that are implanted in the jaws. They work as support to fix different kinds of dental prosthesis one tooth, several teeth or even all the teeth.

Patients usually mix up implants and fixed prostheses. Actually, the role of an implant is to replace tooth roots that are gone or when it's not possible to use the existing ones.

Virtually all patients in perfect health can receive dental implants. However, there are some restraints such as smoking or diabetes for example. These patients should be submitted to some sort assessment before starting the treatment. The oral implantation procedure is considered to be a small surgery and as such requires some assessment - part of the planning - just like any other oral surgery does.

Bone grafting is often required, and can be done previous to the surgery. When this happens the implants are placed only after healing, which might take around 5 months. Whenever possible, this bone graft might be done when doing the dental implants.

Any pre-existent oral infection should be fought. In other words, any periodontitis (gum disease), extraction of teeth with infections as a well as endodontic treatments (root canals) should be done before dental implantation. All these aspects are taken into consideration by the professional performing the implantation, and should be fully discussed with patients before treatment starts.

After placement, the implants are left to heal for a period that ranges from 2 to 6 months. This is necessary so that osseointegration happens - integration of titanium with jawbone. The next step is to uncover the implants to connect a dental prosthesis through a secondary part called socket. In case bone grafting is needed, the treatment gets inevitably longer. In some specific cases, the prosthesis can be placed on the same day of the implantation (immediate load).

The success rate of osseointegrated implants is high. There are scientific researches that can prove the effectiveness of these implants even after years of chewing. Nevertheless, patients could suffer small implant loss - no osseointegration - which counts for about 7% of the cases. This normally occurs right after the healing process - post implantation. Whenever this happens, the implant can be easily removed and placed somewhere else.

Implants just like teeth and gums, should be kept clean by brushing and flossing. One of the consequences of poor hygiene is a condition called periimplantititis - (inflammation in and around the area of a dental implant that may also affect abutment areas). So as to prevent it, it's necessary to see you dentist regularly.