Dental implant is a common and feasible way to replace a missing tooth, it's designed in a way that fits with the other teeth in the mouth, dental implants are stents that surgically placed in the upper or lower jawbone, and serve as a strong anchor for the tooth to be implanted, it is fused to the jawbone without affecting the other teeth; dental implants are made of titanium, which stimulates the integration with the bone; it's the osseointegration.
The osseointegration process takes a few months to complete, dental implants are not exposed to decay, they don't affect adjacent teeth as in the cases of fixed bridges.
Dental implant procedure:
The surgeon places the dental implant inside the jawbone after a local anesthesia, this implant acts as the root of the real tooth, it's left for a period ranging between 3 - 6 months to complete the osseointegration, after that the artificial tooth is placed on the implant if it's confirmed that there is no sign of failure.
Dental implants price varies according to type of implant and quality, technique, and the final tooth crown material like ceramic, porcelain and zircone.
For example, a single tooth implant in the USA costs about 2,500$ to 6,000$, while in Turkey it ranges between 2,800 Turkish lira (450$) and approximately 5,400 Turkish lira (900$).
Dental implant pain:
The patient may suffer from a mild pain and a little swelling in the days following the surgery. In this case, the doctor prescribes palliative drugs and advises the patient to eat soft foods, it must be noted the importance of maintaining a good oral hygiene to prevent any failure of dental implants; medical dental floss must be used after teeth brushing.
Dental implants benefits:
There are many benefits of dental implants, it improves the general appearance by giving a natural look of the artificial tooth.
Improving pronunciation; compared to removable prosthesis that can slip out of place and make difficult to speak.
Feeling comfortable; dental implants look like they are part of the human body so more comfortable than removable dentures.
Dental implants work like natural teeth, and enable a person to eat without feeling pain.
Long Durability; Dental implants may last for a lifetime, with careful preservation, brushing, good oral hygiene to prevent peri-implantitis.
Restore the ability to smile and feel good about yourself.
Dental implants limitations:
Dental implants are not a suitable option for all people, the candidate for an implant surgery must be in good health, and there must have a sufficient bone in the jaw, bone is required for osseointegration, implants are not an appropriate option for people who suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes and leukemia, due to their slow healing process, smokers also suffer from slow healing, heart diseases, people who have been exposed to radiotherapy in the head and neck need to assess their condition before placing an implant.
It is important to ensure that patient must have healthy gums, clean mouth and teeth, and regular visits to the dentist.
Dental implant failure reasons:
As in all cases of surgery, dental implants need careful and wise planning, it's necessary to ensure the person’s health, no blood diseases or any kind of infections, allergies, and know any types of medications that the patient takes.
Dental implants cases have a high success rates, the few failure rates are due to problems such as infections, fracture of dental implant, placing a heavy load on the dental implant, or a defect in the parts surrounding the implant such as the destruction of a blood vessel, nerve or the adjacent tooth, other things that lead to failure is placing the implant in an inappropriate place, or having a bad type of bone in terms of structure and quantity.
How to take care of dental implants:
Dental implants are always at risk of developing peri-implantitis, which is the inflammation of the gum and bone surrounding the implant, this occurs as a result of the presence of big occlusal pressure on the implant or a bacterial infection affecting the tissues surrounding the implant.
This infection must be treated earlier, because it may lead to the loss of the implant, to avoid such situation, it's necessary to take care of the implant at home with regular visits to the dentist, the patient must routinely brush his teeth and use medical dental floss.