All About The Dental Implants

Dental implants in India, are becoming a popular procedure, with the dental clinics here. Among the various cities, Dental implants in Delhi, are much sought after, as Delhi has become a hub for dental tourists. We at ‘Smile Delhi-The Dental Clinic’ have been fortunate to get dental tourists and patients from across the globe for dental implant treatment. (You may refer to our testimonial section) Due to the high quality dental implants being used in our clinic in Delhi,India and adept expertise, dental implant treatment is routinely done in our clinic.

WHAT IS A DENTAL IMPLANT

A dental implant is a titanium post/ screw, which replaces the natural root of a missing tooth. This is either cylindrical or slightly tapered and is placed in the jaw bone. Once it fuses with the bone (the process is called osteointregration), it is ready to receive the artificial tooth ie cap/ crown. The cap is connected to the implant,
through a connector which is placed on top of the implant.Dental implants are either used to replace a single missing tooth or multiple missing teeth. The multiple missing teeth can be replaced with either an implant supported bridge or an implant supported denture.

Dental implants are the closest we can have to natural teeth. They provide chewing power as good as natural teeth,as after fusing with the jaw bone they become an integral part of the jaw.

 

WHO CAN GO FOR DENTAL IMPLANTS?

Any person,

• who is healthy
• whose jaw bones have completed their growth
• has single or multiple missing teeth
• has an old bridge that needs to be changed
• has old dentures which are not comfortable, as in they slip, click and donot allow you to eat what you want to
• has chewing problems and pain, due to missing teeth
• wants a long term permanent solution for missing teeth can go for dental implants.It is best to get the dental checkup done, from an expert dental implant specialist and then go ahead with the treatment.

 

PROTOCOL/PROCEDURE FOR DENTAL IMPLANT TREATMENT

After the dental implant specialist has given the go ahead for dental implant treatment to a patient, the following steps are followed

• first the dental implant is placed in the jaw bone
• then the healing time is given for the implant to fuse with the jaw bone. This usually takes about 2 months for the lower jaw, 3 months for the upper jaw if the sinus is not involved and 6 months, if the sinus is involved. During this period, the implant and the jaw bone fuse, to form a strong foundation for the replacement teeth.
• Once the implant bonds with the jawbone, a small connector is placed on top of the implant. As the name suggests the connector or abutment, connects the implant to the crown or artificial tooth.
• After the connector/ connectors are placed the individual artificial tooth/ crown/cap / bridge or denture is attached to them.

 

IF ENOUGH JAW BONE IS NOT PRESENT;

In some patients looking for dental implant treatment , enough jaw bone is not present. This bone insufficiency is caused due to

• a chronic gum disease in the mouth
• tooth development defects
• wearing dentures for long which has caused the bone to get resorbed
• some trauma/ injury on the face
• some pervious dental procedures where efforts were not made to replace the lost bone

In such cases, where the jaw bone is not enough BONE AUGMENTATION procedures are done to makeup for the insufficient jaw bone.Following are the three procedures,

1- Bone Grafting
2- Sinus lift procedure to augment bone in that region
3- Ridge expansion/modification

1-Bone grafting

This is a fairly routine, successful procedure done in the dental office under local anaesthesia. The buildup of bone is done by taking natural bone, either from another part of the body of the person, sometimes another part of the mouth or another donor. Sometimes synthetic bone may be used. Following this procedure, the patient is put on antibiotics, anti inflammatory pain killers and an antiseptic mouthwash. Once the healing period is over ie the grafted bone has fused with the natural bone , the implants can be placed. The period for integration of grafts usually takes 3 to 6 months depending on which part of the jawbone one is restoring

2-Sinus Lift Procedure

When the back teeth in the upper jaw have been missing for a long time, the sinus cavity becomes bigger. It becomes bigger as the natural bone deteriorates over time. If dental implants have to be placed in this region, first bone augmentation is done in the sinus. This is done, by adding bone below the sinus by lifting its floor. Depending on the case, either the implants are placed along with the bone graft in the sinus or once the bone has develpoed the implants are placed. This usually takes 6 months.

3-Ridge Expansion/Modification

In some cases, the ridge of the jaw bone is too narrow to hold implants. In such cases the ridge expansion is done and bone graft is placed. Depending on the case, either the implants are placed along with the graft or after the healing has happened. This results in a strong foundation of the bone to hold the dental implants.

 

Posted By – Dr. Suprriya B. Bhatia