Dental implants are considered the standard prosthetic replacement for lost teeth. A dental implant is a surgical device that is placed into the jawbone to make a foundation for an artificial crown. A dental implant is the most comfortable, natural-looking and natural-feeling dental restoration device because it is very stable and stands on its own without impacting the neighboring tooth structure. At Olympia Prosthodontics & Cosmetic Dentistry, we offer you dental implant placement if you have one or more missing teeth.
TYPES OF DENTAL IMPLANTS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS
There are two different types of dental implants: endosteal and subperiosteal.
- Endosteal implants: Endosteal implants the most commonly used implants that are fixed into the jawbone. The implant is then allowed to fuse to the bone for a few months to create a stable foundation. After that, it is fitted with a crown.
- Subperiosteal implants: These implants were placed beneath the gums but on top of the jawbone. These were used on people who had low jawbone density but they are no longer in use since they do not last very long.
Multiple Teeth Implants
Patients who have lost more than one tooth or all of their teeth may require multiple teeth implant. At Olympia Prosthodontics & Cosmetic Dentistry, we may replace all your teeth with a dental implant individually, but another good alternative is to use implant-supported dentures. Implant-supported dentures are a kind of overdentures that span the arch of the mouth and are fitted with prosthetic teeth. This overdenture is attached to four to eight implants that are placed into your jawbone. The denture part of these devices can be removed by simply unclasping the clips or pulling the dentures away from the ball sockets. These implant devices are also known as click-on dentures.
All-On-4 Dental Implants
All-On-4 treatment concept is similar to implant-supported dentures, except that they limit the required number of dental implants to four each in the upper and lower jaw.
In All-On-4 dental implant treatment, the two back implants are tilted at an angle of 30 to 45 degrees, which gives them access to a stronger bone at the back of the jaw, thereby ensuring better stability and strength.
In many cases, All-On-4 dental implants do not require a person to undergo a bone graft surgery to augment their jawbone.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING AND AFTER AN IMPLANT SURGERY
At Olympia Prosthodontics & Cosmetic Dentistry, Dr. Robert Stover will examine the health of your mouth using x-rays to determine your treatment plan. If dental implants are required, we will anesthetize the area and pull out any diseased teeth that cannot be saved. In many cases, an alveolar bone graft is also done to augment the bone in the jaw. Your jawbone may have reduced bone density due to a number of reasons like trauma, gum disease, an abscessed tooth root, a cyst in the jaw, or a lost tooth. The bone grafting material is taken from your own body, or from another human, animal, or synthetic source and placed on the site with low bone density. The bone graft is allowed to regrow the bone in the region for a few months.
Once your bone has become strong and stable again, we may call you again to place the implant. A small hole will be made on the site of a missing tooth so that the titanium implant can be placed inside the jawbone. A healing cap is placed on top of the implant and the gum is sutured close and allowed to heal. The implant will be allowed to fuse with the jawbone in a process called osseointegration. This process can take several months. Once the stability of the implant has been achieved, we will make a small incision in the gums to expose the implant and attach a connection, called the abutment, to it. The last stage will involve placing a crown on top of the abutment to restore the appearance and function of your tooth.
HOW SUCCESSFUL IS AN IMPLANT SURGERY?
Thanks to modern dental technology, the success rate of implant surgery is close to 98%. You can improve your chances of success by following all our advice. This includes:
- Not smoking or drinking alcohol while the implant is fusing to the jawbone.
- Avoiding hard and very stick food.
- Not biting your nails on chewing on pencil stubs.
- Taking good care of your oral health at home.
- Keeping your routine checkup appointments with us.
If you experience severe pain, swelling, bleeding, and fever after a dental implant surgery, schedule an urgent appointment with us as it can be a mark of infection. However, as mentioned above, dental implants have a very high success rate so most people get their implants without incident. Interested in getting a dental implant? Call us today at (360) 456-1200 to schedule a consultation with us.