| What are they and how
do they work? |
Implants are
much like artificial tooth roots, except they are made of a specific
metal, titanium. When placed, bone and bone cells will grow right
against the material and "fuse" with it. The body does not
reject the material nor recognize it as "foreign." Titanium
is also the only material that can support biting forces when placed
in the mouth.
Our dentists use titanium alloy exclusively for all our implants.
This material is superior to surgical stainless steel - which, although
it has been used in medicine for years for pins and artificial joints,
is only tolerated by the body. The body does not fuse with it, but
instead creates a fibrous capsule around the steel.
Implants also prevent the gradual loss of bone material in the jaw
that occurs over time with the use of dentures. |
| |
| Are all implants
successful? |
| The success rate
of implants is very high, however there are several variables to consider
before placing an implant. First the patient must be healthy and have
adequate healing powers. Uncontrolled diabetics generally have poor
healing, poor immune systems, are prone to infections and hence their
illness may compromise the long-term future of the implant. Second,
a proper diagnosis and treatment plan must be selected for the individual
patient. Third, proper home care and regular maintenance is essential
for long-term success. Heavy smoking or excessive alcohol consumption
could impair the health of the gums and the implant. |
| |
| Will implants
last a lifetime? |
| There are some
implants, which have been in the mouth for as long as thirty years.
Our understanding of how placement, design, bone physiology and engineering
of the prosthetics affects the long term prognosis, and the overall
advancement in education of the many dentists placing implants, means
we will probably see many more implants lasting an increasing longer
period of time. However, thirty years is still not the average. In
many cases our own teeth do not last thirty years. Our health and
maintenance is extremely important in determining how long an implant
will last. In the final analysis, whether they last a lifetime depends
on how long you live and at what age you are when implant(s) are placed. |
| |
| Is age a deterrent? |
| Anyone from 16
to over 80 years old can benefit from implants, as health is really
the determining factor. In fact, many people 70 and 80 years of age
are better candidates than someone years younger who has physical
complications.
But no matter
what your age, the bottom line is that eating comfortably is critical
to enjoying life.
For older patients,
dental implants allow them to do away with dentures, and chew food
such as meat and raw vegetables again, helping them maintain their
quality of life. As well, older individuals are more likely to need
implants because they usually have lost more teeth and supporting
ridges. Digestion and absorption of essential nutrients from food
can then become impaired and the need to be able to eat all types
of nutritious foods becomes even more important.
|
| |
| Number of
implants |
| The number of
implants required is directly dependent on: |
- the number
of missing teeth the implants will support.
- the type
of teeth (molars versus incisors)
- the quantity
and quality of bone in the area.
|
|
Our natural
teeth are also designed with the above concepts in mind. For example,
our molar teeth typically have two or three roots and they are separated
in the form of a "v" or tripod to create a very large
surface area of support. This is essential as the bone in these
areas is usually not very dense and yet this area receives a lot
of forces from chewing. Our front teeth typically have single roots,
yet are able to support chewing since the forces are less and the
bone is much more dense.
For us to determine
how many implants you will need, we have to consider all of the
above factors. The final prosthetics will be designed or envisioned
beforehand and then we will work backwards. Single teeth are generally
supported by one implant. Up to three, and possibly four teeth could
be supported by two implants if the other factors are positive.
Full upper arches generally require six to ten implants and full
lower arches four to eight implants.
Permanent, non-removable
crowns or bridges generally require the greatest support, as the
implants will support the entire chewing force. In some cases, implants
are used to retain and support removable teeth (overdentures). With
overdentures, some of the forces can be distributed to the tissue
surfaces, and some freedom of movement can be designed into the
prosthetics. This will lessen the load or forces on each implant
and by so doing it may be possible to place fewer implants.
IMPORTANT!
Regardless of whom you may seek for your dental implants, it is
extremely important that the dentist(s) determine the type of teeth,
your occlusion (bite), and the bone support available, prior to
determining the type, number and placement (location) of implants.
If this is not done, the implants may be initially successful, integrate
(become rigid) and support the teeth for the first months or years,
but later you may be at risk of losing bone, implants and/or the
entire prosthetics. And all too often, trying to fix the problems
years later turns out to be more extensive and expensive than if
it had been done correctly in the first place.
|
| |
| Types of teeth |
| Implants can
be used to replace one to several teeth. When replacing single teeth,
they can be made to resemble a real tooth. Implants can be used for
full arches, to fabricate permanent non-removable teeth, or they can
be made to hold and secure removable teeth. The number of implants
required depends on the number of teeth (or tooth roots) they are
replacing, and the type of teeth that are being placed on top of the
implants. See the section on implant treatment
options for the different ways implants are being used to replace
teeth. |
| |
| Is there a
guarantee? |
| If an implant
is placed and fails to integrate, we will replace it at no cost to
you. This is an extremely rare occurrence in our office; however,
should it happen, we will determine and correct the problem and replace
the implant.
Once integrated,
the success depends partly on the design of the prosthetics and
loading, and we will treatment plan accordingly. Success also depends
on your long-term care and maintenance of your teeth.
|
| |
| Will there
be discomfort? |
| Just as with
any surgery there will be some discomfort the first few days following
surgery. This is usually minimal to moderate, similar to having a
tooth removed, and for the majority of our patients it is easily controlled
with non-narcotic medications such as ibuprofen or Tylenol. However,
we are not all alike and you will be provided with alternative medications
should it be necessary. During the procedure there will not be any
discomfort as the combination of local anaesthetics and sedation will
keep you comfortable. |
| |
| How much time
does it take? |
| This also depends
on the complexity of the treatment. Individual procedures are completed
from thirty minutes to several hours. The total treatment time can
vary from four months to two years. |
| |
| Will I be
without teeth? |
| If you need a
longer healing process until your final implants are completed, you
may be without teeth for a few weeks or months. If this is the case,
we can often make you a temporary implant that can support fixed or
non-moveable teeth.
Also, in some
cases where patients have dentures, we ask them to wear them as
minimally as possible for the first few days to one week following
surgery.
|
| |
| How long will
I be off work? |
| Generally we
recommend the day of surgery plus one to three days for recovery.
For simple procedures you may be able to return to work the next day,
and more complex procedures may require a longer recovery time. In
all cases, we do not recommend any exercise or strenuous physical
activity for at least three to seven days following surgery. |
