Dental Implants
Dental implants essentially substitute the missing tooth roots, are placed by a minor surgery in the jawbone and are used as supports for the prosthetic restorations that will be constructed. Their construction material is titanium with a properly treated surface, so that they are integrated in the jawbone. They are fully biocompatible materials and have been used for decades both in dentistry, and in many other fields of medicine. Their resistance and their light weight are two more principal advantages of them.
The shape of dental implants is usually cylindrical or conical (root-form) and their dimensions (diameter and length) vary, so that we can choose the appropriate implant for each patient depending on their requirements and anatomy.
Advantages of implants compared to the classical prosthetic restorations.
-The natural teeth on the two sides of the missing tooth are not drilled
-There is no sensitivity to various stimuli (cold, hot, sweet)
-They prevent the absorption of the bone with age
-They contribute to the preservation of the morphological characteristics and the improvement of the aesthetics of the face
-They contribute to the preservation of the morphological characteristics and the improvement of the aesthetics of the face
-They look more like natural teeth
-They contribute to the increase and preservation of the chewing ability
-The contribute to the improvement of speech and ingestion
-They offer self-confidence to the patient as fixed restorations
-There is the possibility of easy, painless and low cost correction of their prosthetic restorations whenever it is required
-They facilitate a better oral hygiene
Procedure
Before the surgical insertion of the implants, a detailed medical and dental history is taken, and the radiographic examination takes place with the use of a panoramic and intraoral dental X-ray, while in the last years the CBCT-Cone Beam Computed Tomography of the jawbones is also used, and is now required. Furthermore, the original dental impressions of the patient are taken and dental plaster casts are constructed for the study of the mouth, on which, with the aid of special programs and software, we study, plan and construct digitally and in 3D mode the implants and their prosthetic restorations. In this way we can design digitally, with a very high precision and safety, the place of the implants and the prosthetic restoration that will be constructed and will be supported by them. The entire restoration can be presented to the patient in 3D and digital mode before the surgical insertion of the implants, so that the patient can also have a full picture of the procedure and be adequately informed about the future picture of his/her mouth. A prerequisite for placing an implant is a very good oral hygiene by the patient, the regular re-examination as it is scheduled by the dentist, while smoking is a relative contraindication.
Preoperative Planning
Preoperative planning is the most important stage of the restoration with dental implants. Obtaining a detailed medical history, the thorough study of the anatomical and functional conditions in the stomatognathic system and the detailed updating of the patient are the necessary steps before proceeding to the implantation process. The patient must have an excellent level of oral hygiene and must have fully understood the increased hygiene requirements that the restoration with dental implants entails.
Initial condition – lack of three posterior teeth of the lower jaw
Implantation Procedure
After the full updating of the patient and if he/she agrees with the prepared treatment plan, the surgical insertion of the implants is programmed to be performed at our properly equipped dental surgery with local anaesthesia, taking all the necessary safety measures for the painless and safe procedure. The postoperative course usually includes a small oedema (swelling) of the area and a slight pain for 1-2 days, which is treated with common painkillers, while after 10-12 days the sutures are removed.
12 days after the surgical placement of the implants, the sutures are removed
Period of integration of the implants in the bone (osseointegration)
After their implantation, around the implants begins a process of reformation of the bone and of its adhesion to the specially treated titanium surface, for a time period of 2-4 months depending on the case. By this process, the implants are essentially integrated in the jawbone and are immobilized, so that they can receive the prosthetic restoration and function as natural teeth.
2 months after their placement the implants have integrated and are now ready to receive the prosthetic restoration (bridge)
Prosthetic restoration
After this period and since their immobilization has been checked with the special apparatus our dental surgery is equipped with, we proceed to the taking of dental impressions, so that the prosthetic restoration is constructed by the dental technology laboratory. In a period of 1-2 weeks the final prosthetic restoration is ready to be placed in the mouth and function. In some cases and particularly for aesthetic reasons, there is the possibility of immediate construction of a temporary prosthetic restoration even on the same day of insertion of the implants. The re-examination of the patient, as it is scheduled by the attending dentist, guarantees the preservation and maintenance of the functionality of the implants in the mouth.
The three-tooth post-implant bridge with the access holes for screwing it into the implants
Final state- The implant bridge placed in the mouth