Chewing with your own teeth for as long as possible – that’s what everyone wants. But after a filling, root treatment and crown, many a molar comes to the end of its life. Then the question arises: Do I need a dental implant?
Dental implants are small titanium screws. They are screwed into the jawbone and grow together there. A ceramic crown is placed on this artificial tooth root. "Even dentists cannot distinguish a well-integrated implant from a healthy tooth at first glance," says Dr. Edward DeFabio, a cosmetic dentist at DeFabio Dental Design.
Over 3 million implants are placed in the United States every year. The prognosis is good. According to a new study, 97 percent of implants last ten years and 90 percent even up to 24 years.
Implants are an alternative to the bridge, for which the neighboring teeth have to be ground down. These serve as the pillars of the bridge, which is mostly made of ceramics. If the neighboring teeth are healthy, without fillings or caries, it is a pity to grind them down - then an implant is more suitable.
Fasten prostheses
Implants are also used when teeth are missing after an accident, for example. For incisors, which are prone to falls and fights, the patient's age plays a role, as bones can still grow in this area. Patients should generally be over 30 years old for an implant. An adhesive bridge is a suitable interim solution for younger people.
Dental implants are not only used as a replacement tooth, but also to attach prostheses to toothless teeth. Classic dentures sit on the mucous membrane and hold in the jaw thanks to the suction effect. This has the disadvantage that they can fall off when chewing. For some people, this means that they don't dare to go to the restaurant or hardly eat anything hard like fruit.. This can affect the psyche and prevent a healthy diet.
An upper jaw prosthesis can, for example, be attached to implants in the jaw by means of snap fasteners. As a result, it holds up better, and thanks to the palate-free design, the taste buds are now exposed on the mucous membrane of the jaw. Overall, this is a huge gain in quality of life.
In order to place an implant, however, there needs to be enough healthy bone in the appropriate place. This is often not the case because bone regresses where there are no teeth. In such cases, the dentist must first build bone prior to implant treatment.
This is usually done with a bone replacement material. This is a kind of framework into which the body's own bone cells grow. If a lot of bone is missing, the body's own bone material must be transplanted from the mouth or from the hip bone. In order to avoid such complex work, one should not wait too long with a tooth gap with an implant.
Depending on how much preliminary work is required, the implant treatment takes about three to nine months. Placing the implant is a surgical procedure that is usually performed under local anesthesia. It's a lot less invasive these days than it was twenty years ago. Thanks to modern X-ray technology, the jaw can be displayed in 3D. In this way, the dentist can play through the operation virtually before the actual intervention.
In addition to implants made of titanium, implants made of ceramics, more precisely: made of the ceramic material zirconium oxide, are also available today. Because of their white color, ceramic implants are all the hype and are being promoted as a metal-free alternative. This is despite the fact that, from a purely chemical point of view, zirconium is one of the metals.
However, ceramic implants still have disadvantages today, especially in the case of bridge constructions and removable prostheses that are attached to implants. Although ceramic is hard, it is more brittle than metal. Ceramic implants are an interesting alternative in cases where titanium cannot be used. But further studies are needed.
Treat periodontitis first
Dental implants made of titanium have many advantages. But even with them there can be problems. The biggest is an inflammation called peri-implantitis. This allows periodontitis bacteria, which also cause gingivitis, to reach the surface of the implant. Here they can multiply undisturbed, inflammation occurs, gums and bones recede. The frequency varies because it depends on various factors and also on the patient. According to a study from 2012, 10 percent of implants and 20 percent of patients are affected.
People who suffer from periodontitis and smokers are at greatest risk. According to Jung, the latter are 13 times more likely to have the complication. Periodontitis should therefore be treated before an implant is placed.
In order to prevent peri-implantitis, particularly good oral hygiene is necessary. Many think that with artificial dentures you have to brush your teeth less, but it's exactly the opposite. In addition, patients with dental implants should have dental hygiene more often than usual. In this way you can ensure that you can chew with the new molar for as long as possible.