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| 1.
What are implants? |
Implants are specially made
posts that replace the roots of teeth that are
missing and are used to support a new crown, fixed
bridge or enture. It is made of titanium, a strong
and lightweight material which has been shown
to be compatible with the body and safe for use.
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| 2. Why
do we need to replace missing teeth? |
Our teeth are an important
part of our digestive system as it is needed for
chewing food. It plays a role in speech. It is
also an important part of our appearance. Finally,
it prevents gaps and spaces from appearing between
our teeth when a tooth is lost.
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| 3. What
are the advantages over conventional replacements? |
The conventional
methods of replacing missing teeth are Bridges
or Dentures.
Bridges usually involve sticking false teeth onto
our existing teeth. This may involve filing down
healthy teeth to act as retainers which may compromise
the health of these teeth. Bridges can also only
be provided when there are sufficient strong remaining
teeth. They are however a permanent replacement,
although they are likely to need replacement every
10 to 15 years.
Dentures are teeth attached to a plastic or metal
plate. They can often be cumbersome as they have
to be taken in and out every day and for cleaning.
They may not always retain in place well if the
shape of the gums and bone in the mouth is not
appropriate.
Though bridges and dentures can serve us satisfactorily,
Implants provide better support and usually results
in more comfortable and stable replacement teeth.
It provides better chewing efficiency and allows
us to have permanent fixed teeth without trimming
our own natural teeth for support, or having to
remove the teeth every day. Implants also slow
down the shrinkage of our jawbone which occurs
as a result of tooth loss.
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| 4. Are
implants dangerous to health? |
The materials used chiefly
titanium is almost never rejected by the body.
These have also never been a report of it being
the cause of cancer or any life-threatening disease.
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| 5. What
guarantee do we have and what is the success rate? |
Though no one can ever guarantee
success, the procedure has been very well tested
and has a success rate of 90%-95% in general.
Some implants have been monitored for more than
30 years. There will be a need for minor re-servicing
from time to time even in successful implants.
This is so especially for the denture or fixed
teeth which it carries.
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| 6. What
are the known complications? |
As in all surgical procedures
there are reported complications. In Implant Dentistry
these are mainly either due to a failure of the
implant to integrate with the jaw bone, or due
to damage to adjacent anatomical structures. The
incidence of these complications is very small,
and with careful pre-operative planning the risks
are kept to an absolute minimum. Here at the University
Dental and Implant Centre, we take great care
in assessing every case very carefully, discussing
with patients the different options, likelihood
of success and any related risks.
Where an implant does not integrate with bone,
this is sometimes due to a patient having an unfavourable
bone pattern or the presence of pre-existing pathology
or infection. Often, the site can be left to heal
for a few months and the implant successfully
reinserted.
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| 7. Can
implants improve my appearance? |
Though the main reason for
placing implants is to improve our chewing abilities,
our teeth play an important part in our appearance
and implants can likewise play a role to enhancing
our appearance. Do discuss with your dentist as
to the cosmetic improvements which are possible
as well as the limitations of the procedures.
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| 8. What
is the actual procedure? |
We need to do a surgical procedure
to bury the implant within the jawbone and allow
the body to heal naturally. After about 3-6 months,
the implants will be strong enough to support
the load of new teeth which is attached to them.
During the healing period, you will be provided
with temporary "teeth" to allow you
to carry on your way of life until the bone completely
surrounds the implant. This may be an adhesive-type
bridge or a denture.
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| 9. What
is bone grafting associated with implants? |
Successful placement of implants
depends on the presence of bone of sufficient
quality and quantity. This is not always present
in every patient. A lack of bone is usually related
to local factors such as how the gums healed after
tooth extraction, rather than any general medical
condition.
It was previously thought that in areas where
there was insufficient bone it was not possible
to place implants. There have now been great advances
made in procedures to increase the amount of available
bone either by use of endogenous bone (i.e. belonging
to the patient) or a range of artificial substitutes
or a combination of both. These grafting techniques
are simple and often carried out at the time of
implant placement.
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| 10. How
long does the procedure take? |
This depends largely on complexity but can range from one to two hours per implant. The dentist will advise you of the schedule for the different visits. You might need to take a couple of days off work after the insertion of the implants.
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| 11. What
should I expect during surgery? |
The procedure is normally carried
out under local anaesthesia. For patients who
are anxious, intravenous sedation is also offered.
During the surgery, the local anaesthesia and
sedation given practically eliminates all pain.
After the surgery, there will be some discomfort,
swelling or bruising but with the appropriate
medication, it is usually not unduly uncomfortable.
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| 12. Is
it expensive? |
As materials and techniques
used are fairly sophisticated, there is a cost
attached to having implants. However, in terms
of quality of life, there is definitely a dramatic
improvement for the many people across the world
that have benefited from this procedure.
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| 13. Is
there an age limit to implants? |
You can be too young for implants
but age itself is not a barrier. The state of
your health is an important criteria and your
dentist will determine your suitability for surgery.
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