Dental Implants
A dental implant a surgical component that integrates with the bone of the jaw to support a any prosthesis such as a crowns(caps), bridge, denture or to act as an orthodontic anchor. Dental implants are replacement for tooth roots.
Advantages Of Dental Implants
There are many advantages to dental implants, including:
1. Improved appearance – Dental implants when placed becomes indistinguishable from your own teeth. They blend with the bone hence are permanent in the mouth.
2. Improved comfort – Because they become part of you, implants eliminate the discomfort of removable dentures
3. Improved speech – Removable dentures and complete dentures are very bulky and always interfere with speech at first whereas speech is not at all affected by dental implants.
4. Improved self-esteem – The confidence of the person is raised as dental implant can give back your smile and comfortable for you
5. Easier eating – Eating may be difficult with removable dentures. It’s a lot easier to eat with dental implants as they feel like one’s own teeth.
6. Convenience – Removable dentures are not at all convenient. They have to be removed and worn daily. Implants are fixed and convenient thus eliminating the need of messy adhesives.
7. Durability – Implants are very durable and may last lifetime with proper care.
8. Improved oral health – There is no need for sacrificing the adjacent teeth as it does not require the preparation of adjacent teeth. They feels like natural teeth and lot easy to clean than removable dentures.
Success Rate Of Implants
Usually, the success rate varies according to the site where it is placed and other factors. But generally speaking the success rate of dental implants is more than 90 percent and with proper care, implants can also last a lifetime.
Who Is The Candidate For Dental Implants
Any edentulous person who maintains good oral hygiene and has good general health is a candidate for implant placement. There are certain factors that we have to check before placing an implant:
1. Oral Hygiene and general health of a patient
2. Bone height where the implant has to be placed
3. Type of ridge – broad or narrow or knife-edged
4. Flabby tissue overlying the ridge
5. The proximity of nerve and bone height where implant has to be placed
6. Certain conditions like Diabetes, Is the patient taking anticoagulants, etc
Situations For Implant Placement
Various situations for implant placement are as follows
1) Single tooth implant – A crown is placed over it
2) Multiple teeth Implant – A bridge is placed over it
3) Multiple implants for fixed complete denture
4) Multiple implants for Removable Complete or Removable Partial Dentures
5) Two or more implants for overdenture
6) Implants to serve as orthodontic anchor – Also known as mini implants