Dental Implants

What can provide the greatest risk for dental implants?

Albeit implant teeth are robust and cannot be invaded by harmful microorganisms in the mouth, some conditions and habits harm implant survival.

1. Smoking - Cigarettes and other tobacco products contain strong chemicals that can interfere with an implant's ability to osseointegrate with the jaw bone.
2. Diabetes – People with uncontrolled sugar levels also develop impaired osseointegration. Likely, it will lead to an implant-related infectious condition called "Peri-implantitis".
3. Allergies - Titanium is biocompatible, but some people have allergic reactions to this metal. In such cases, their body will turn down the implant. Therefore, informing the dentist about any such disorders or allergy situations before getting implants is better.

How do dentists replace a missing tooth through dental implants?

Replacing a tooth or multiple teeth with implants begins with a mini-surgical procedure. However, it is not painful, so don't worry. Dental implant treatments primarily involve the following steps:

1. Placing the implant – The implant doctor would open the gum flap with a scalpel under local anaesthesia. Then a drill is made in place of the missing tooth to insert implant posts (titanium screws). Then, the incision in the gums is stitched.
2. Osseointegration – The titanium screw gets integrated into the bone and becomes stabilized. It forms the tooth's root portion. This process is called Osseointegration, and it takes around 3 months. This duration, called healing period, varies for each person depending on bone health.
3. Placing abutment – When dentists find that the implant post is completely fused with the bone, they place an abutment on the implant and fix it with a screw. The abutment is a connector that links up the inserted implant and the replacement teeth going to be placed.
4. Placement of the replacement tooth – A custom-made prosthesis (or) Replacement teeth (crowns, dentures, or dental bridges) is fabricated after taking impressions. Then, the prosthesis is cemented or screwed onto the abutment.

How long does the dental implant treatment take?

Generally, implant dentistry treatments will take 3 to 8 months to complete. Meanwhile, the treatment duration varies for each case with respect to factors like bone growth rate, patients' habits, oral hygiene routine, etc.

On the other hand, the treatment duration will elongate if placing the implant teeth mandates supporting treatments like bone grafting.

What are the important care guidelines to be followed after getting dental implants?

Although the implants are robust and durable, you should care for them like your natural teeth. Apart from post-operative instructions, the implant care guidelines are extended to your day-to-day oral activities to a certain extent as follows:

• Use a soft nylon toothbrush to clean your teeth
• Avoid sticky food items
• Avoid hard foods
• Use flossing wire or an interdental brush to clean the space between your implant teeth
• Get periodical consultations from your dentist