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WHAT IS A DENTAL IMPLANT?
A dental implant is an artificial tooth root replacement, made from titanium, and is used in prosthetic dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth. Titanium can be successfully fused into bone, forming a structural and functional connection between the living bone and the Implant. It is common for the placement of the implant and restoration of the implant with a tooth, teeth, or some other form of a prosthesis such as an implant supported over-denture or perhaps a hybrid prosthesis.
WHAT IS THE SUCCESS RATE FOR IMPLANTS?
Dental implant success is related to operator skill, quality and quantity of the bone available at the site, and also to the patient's oral hygiene. Various studies have found the 10-year success rate of implants to be between 90 and 95%.
WHAT FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO A BETTER SUCCESS RATE?
For Dental Implant treatment to fully succeed, Dr. Barsky must first determine what type of prosthesis will be fabricated. Only then can the specific implant requirements including number, length, diameter, and thread pattern be determined. In other words, the case must be reverse engineered by the restoring dentist prior to the surgery. If bone volume or density is inadequate, a bone graft procedure must be considered first.
WHAT ABOUT IMPLANT ADVANCEMENTS?
At The Miami Institute for Age Management we have the latest technology and equipment available to further aid in your success rate. Dr. Barsky and his team of implant surgeons use 'treatment planning software' to demonstrate "try-ins" to you, the patient, on a computer screen. Software products use the digital data from a CAT scan, to provide extremely accurate simulations that are easily understood by patients. When options have been fully discussed between patient and surgeon, the same software can be used to produce precision drill guides.
WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE FOR IMPLANTS?
A typical implant consists of a titanium screw (resembling a tooth root) with a roughened surface. An osteotomy or precision hole is carefully drilled into jawbone and the implant is installed in the osteotomy.
Implant surgery is typically performed as an outpatient, under local anesthesia with or without sedation. The most common treatment plan calls for several surgeries over a period of a couple of months, especially if bone augmentation (bone grafting) is needed to support implant placements. At the other end of the surgery scale, some patients can be implanted and restored in a single surgery, in a procedure labeled "immediate function" and "teeth in an hour."
A single implant procedure that involves an incision and "flapping" of the gum or gingiva (to expose the jawbone) takes about an hour, sometimes longer; multiple implants can be installed in a single surgical session. At the conclusion, the patient goes through a period of recovery, returns to consciousness and is sent home with a relative or friend.
Healing and integration of the implant(s) with jawbone occurs over several months in a process called osseointegration. At the appropriate time, we use the implant(s) to anchor crowns or a prosthetic restoration containing several "teeth." Since the implants supporting the restoration are integrated, which means they are biomechanically stable and strong, the patient is immediately able to masticate (chew) normally.
In an immediate function procedure, the gingiva is not flapped (Flapless). Instead, the surgeon removes a small plug of gingiva directly over the drilling site. The site is drilled and the implant is installed. Then a crown is immediately added. Patients are cautioned to give their new "teeth in an hour" ample healing/integration time (weeks or months) before attempting normal mastication.
There are different approaches to place dental implants after tooth extraction. The approaches are:
According to the timing of loading of dental implants, the procedure of loading could be classified into:
WHAT ARE SOME CONTRAINDICATIONS FOR DENTAL IMPLANT PLACEMENT?
There are no absolute contraindications to implant dentistry, however there are some systemic, behavioral and anatomic considerations that should be considered.
Uncontrolled type II diabetes is a significant relative contraindication as healing following any type of surgical procedure is delayed due to poor peripheral blood circulation.
Anatomic considerations include the volume and height of bone available. We often perform ancillary procedures, known as a block graft or sinus augmentation to provide enough bone for successful implant placement.
