What You Need to Know About Implant Dentistry

Implant dentistry is here to return your life to normal. You should not have to live with a missing tooth that taints your smile, makes eating painful and threatens your oral health. The solution to this problem is implant dentistry. Dental implants will fill in those unsightly gaps between your teeth, making your smile beautiful and eating/talking that much easier.

Dental Implants

With implant dentistry, you will feel like you have your natural teeth back in your mouth once your dental implants are in place.

The Roots of Implant Dentistry

Implant dentistry goes all the way back to Swedish researcher Dr. P.I. Branemark's discovery that it is possible to bond bone with titanium. This process is known as osseointegration, serving as the foundation for modern-day implant dentistry. Today's successful implant dentistry techniques all derive from the original work of the Swedes. In fact, the success rate for dental implants was higher than 90 percent back in 1982. Today's implant dentistry success rates are over 95 percent.

Factors That Play a Role in the Placement of Dental Implants

There must be ample bone available to fuse with the dental implant. Otherwise, the dental implant will not have the stability necessary to provide support across the long haul. There must be at least 6 millimeters of bone width and 8 millimeters of bone height in order for the patient to be a candidate for implant dentistry. Even if there is insufficient bone, there might be a chance to still go through with the bone-grafting procedure before receiving the dental implants.

Certain medical problems make it difficult for dental implants to work their magic. A patient with liver disease, diabetes, severe bleeding or another serious health malady will not be a good candidate for implant dentistry. The dentist will ask for your medical history, list of prescriptions and request that the patient goes through an oral exam.

What You Need To Know

The dental professional will examine the bone quality, bone quantity, the type of tissue and dentition and so on. A radiographic exam is then necessary, using panoramic film and a three-dimensional cone beam to coordinate the perfect position of the implants. After the examination, the dental professional will then use a surgical guide during the surgery.

If necessary, the professional may offer antibiotics an hour before the surgery occurs. In most cases, the patient will either be under IV sedation or a local anesthesia. The professional will make an incision in the space of the missing tooth, open a flap and prepare the bone. A flap is subsequently opened. The professional will then screw the implant into the proper place.

If a portion of the implant surface is not laden with bone, it will be necessary to use a bone graft. The professional will then replace the flap and suture it closed. The implant has to stay in place for a couple months in order to fuse with the jaw. Once integration occurs, the professional will position the artificial teeth to provide functionality and a gorgeous smile.

Call us at (949) 336-3404 for more information from Smile by Design Dental Group or to schedule an appointment in our dentist office in Irvine.