Implantation of teeth

Dental implantation involves the insertion of titanium screws into the jaw bone. Later, they get covered with the bony tissue and can serve as dental roots. Then a specially made prosthetic denture (dental bridge, tooth crown, removable denture) are put on this screw. Tooth implantation is carried out in several stages and allows you to restore the required number of teeth, achieve their functionality and aesthetics as well.

Learn more about dental implants

Dental implants are titanium products resembling self-drilling screws. In fact, they are screwed into the jaw bone in the same direction where dental roots were previously. This procedure is carried out so that they may become reliable and long-term support for prosthetic dentures or artificial dental crowns.

The dental implant consists of two parts: the implant itself and the so-called abutment, which serves as the support of the prosthetic denture.

Indications for dental implantation

The need to put in a tooth or several teeth may appear in such cases:

• There is sizable space between the teeth as a result of dental extraction. The abutment implants for dental bridgeworks stand for additional support.
• One front or one back tooth is missing, and there are two teeth in good condition on either side.
• Absence of the grinder teeth. Therefore, the removable denture has to be worn.
• Complete edentulism. In this case, the removable denture is fixed to the dental implants or 4-8 implants are placed into each jaw. Subsequently, they serve as support for full ceramic or porcelain fused metal dental bridges.

Dental implantation is often a necessary measure allowing to solve a number of problems.

Why you should not delay dental implantation

When one tooth or several teeth are missing, and this problem is not only aesthetic but also a functional one. If you delay the implantation for a long time, the consequences can be sad.

Here are a few problems that can be triggered by the absence of a tooth or several teeth:

• Psychological discomfort and lack of self-confidence. People who are familiar with this problem feel self-conscious and often cover their mouths with their hands reflexively. A big smile and unconstrained laughter become a real problem as well since they don’t want to demonstrate the absence of teeth once again.
• Change in facial features. Quite quickly it can be noted that the corners of the mouth begin to droop, the chin and nasolabial folds become more pronounced, and the lips become retracted.
• Distortion of the tooth range. The teeth located near the hollows (the places where the missing teeth were previously) do not have support anymore and begin to get loose. The tooth range shifts because of free space. As a consequence, the teeth are misshaped and dental occlusion is changed.
• Destruction of dental structure. The interspace is formed between the teeth due to the displacement of the tooth range. Сonsequently, food gets stuck in there causing the development of caries and other diseases.
• Destruction of the gingival tissue and bone. Epithelial tissue thinning and bone destruction occurs in the place where a tooth is missing. If dental implantation is delayed for too long, it may be very difficult or even impossible to perform it in the future.
• Speech disturbance. The absence of even one tooth (especially the front one) can lead to a disturbance of the pronunciation of the sounds. If several teeth are missing, it involves serious articulation problems.
• Development of gastrointestinal diseases. The interaction between dental health and digestive system has been known for a long time. If part of the teeth, especially the grinder teeth, is missing, it becomes impossible to grind up the food properly. This can lead to digestive problems, as well as the need to avoid some solid food.

It is known that the teeth cannot be renewed. It is better not to delay dental implantation if there was a need to perform it. The reason is the longer the teeth are missing, the more difficult it is to carry out the necessary procedure. In some cases, it even becomes impossible. In addition, the neglected situation affects the cost of dental implantation.

Advantages of dental implantation

The implant insertion has several advantages:

• it prevents the development of jaw bones deformities, as well as their subsequent atrophy;
• it returns a confident smile and aesthetic appearance;
• it improves the quality of life, makes it possible to enjoy the favorite food;
• it helps to reduce the pressure on healthy teeth that occurs during mealtime;
• dental implants can serve for 10–20 years or longer in case of proper care;
• in the absence of one or several teeth, it is not necessary to involve the adjacent healthy teeth (file them) in order to put dental bridges on them;
• it relieves from the necessity to wear full dentures (in the case of absolute toothless jaws);
• it has a limited range of contraindications for the placing.

According to some researches, the partial or total absence of teeth can significantly shorten the life expectancy. Moreover, proper chewing of food and normal pressure on the jaw bones allows you to maintain the optimal activity of the important functions of the cerebral cortex, which is necessary to keep the general tone of all organ systems and thinking processes.

One-stage and two-stage dental implantation

There are one- and two-stage dental implantations, which are characterized by certain features and differences.

One-stage implant placement involves the functional recovery of a lost tooth just in 2-4 visits. This option is suitable for those people who are afraid of dental procedures and do not have enough time for numerous sessions. A transgingival method is used, involving minimal incisions within the gingival tissues and the absence of sutures. During the procedure, the abutment is being screwed, and the dental crown is placed. In most cases, the one-piece implant is used with this type of implantation.

Two-stage implant placement is a slower but more gentle method of implantation for the human body. Each component of the implant design is placed in a staged manner. It takes about 4-6 months for one implant to reach bone-implant healing. Sometimes the cases of implant failure occur, but this risk is minimal due to the modern titanium systems.

Things to do before dental implantation

Before replacing the teeth, the patient will have to prepare oneself for this process:

• At first, a doctor examines the patient’s mouth and teeth, as well as assesses their state.
• A panoramic x-ray is carried out.
• It is preferable for the patient to undergo CT scanning. This method will allow getting an image of the lower and upper jaw bones, which will help to choose the best type of dental implant.
• The oral cavity, as well as the patient’s teeth, should be prepared before dental implantation. Removal of deposits, treatment of mucous membranes, treatment and packing of carious cavities, oral cavity sanitation (allows eliminating the site of persistent infection) should be performed for this purpose.

The patient must follow the recommendations of the doctor, especially related to oral hygiene. It allows getting a successful result of dental implantation.

How is dental implantation performed?

The implant placement is carried out in several stages:

• An implantologist places one implant in the jaw bone. This process is carried out under local anesthesia, so the patient does not feel the pain and discomfort.
• Depending on the type of dental implantation (one- or two-stage), a temporary crown can be placed during the same session (in the case of a one-day placement). There is another option: the gum covers the placement location of the implant. Then it is necessary to wait several months (from 2 to 6) in order to get complete bone-implant healing.
• In the case of two-stage implant placement, the doctor performs the implant exposure and places a healing cap. It is necessary for the formation of the right gum line around the future crown. This stage takes 15 days.
• The abutment, a special conical element, is placed on the dental implant. Subsequently, the dental crown or another selected type of prosthesis will be placed.

Contraindications for dental implantation and particular complications

There may be the following contraindications for dental implantation:

• Absolute – diseases of the blood-forming organs and blood, oncological diseases, some kind of connective tissue diseases, malfunctions of the immune system, great tonicity of the jaw muscles and bruxism, endocrine diseases, osteoporosis, metabolic disorders, diabetes mellitus, venereal diseases, HIV infection, mental disorder.
• Relative (if certain conditions are observed, they will be successfully eliminated) – periodontitis, gum inflammation, carious lesion, smoking, drug addiction, alcohol addiction (bad habits increase the risk of implant failure), afunctional occlusion, imperfect oral hygiene, pregnancy (in some cases), recovery period after serious diseases and radiation treatment, diseases in the acute period and during the exacerbation.
• General – allergy to pain management medications, long-lasting stress, somatic diseases, which can become more acute during implantation, mental disorders, use of certain drugs (anticoagulants, immunosuppressants, cytostatic drugs, anti-depressants), exhaustion of the body.
• Local – insufficient distance to the inferior dental canal and the maxillary sinus cavity, the lack of regular and proper hygienic care of the oral cavity, the lack of the bone tissue in the place of the dental implant location.

In rare cases, there can be complications after dental implantation:

• Soreness. Swelling, which is accompanied by pain, can appear as a result of inflammation.
• Suture line disruption. Mainly, it occurs due to the improper stitching or inflammation process.
• Hematoma. It can provoke purulence and suture line disruption.
• Bleeding. The most common causes of this complication are peculiar wound repair or deterioration of blood clotting ability.
• Inflammation of the jaw soft tissues. As a result, it leads to an inflammable infiltrate.

Peri-implantitis (inflammatory process affecting the tissues surrounding dental implants) may develop. Also, implant failure may occur (modern prosthetic devices survive properly due to biocompatibility with the bone tissues). It happens very rarely, but it does happen.

How much does it cost to replace the teeth? The price of dental implants.

“Certus” clinic provides a number of cosmetic, medical and dental services, including dental implantation in Kyiv. Here you can count on an individual approach in each specific case, painless procedures, reliable and long-term results, high-quality service, the use of the most modern methods and materials as well. You can find out the prices for dental implantation from the table on the page. The cost of services depends on the extent of the problem and the method of dental implantation. You can receive all the necessary information and get the answers to your questions by setting up an appointment with a specialist at the clinic.