What is Implant Tooth? Dental Implant Treatment Application
What is implant tooth?
A dental implant is an artificial prosthetic tooth that is placed in place of a real tooth to do the same job. The implant is made of titanium-containing material. It consists of two parts, the root part (artificial part) and the upper layer that forms the core of the tooth.
Implant treatment is a safe and healthy option to replace your missing teeth with permanent ones. It can be done in place of a single or more of your teeth. The results are so natural that many patients do not even remember that they are implant treatments. Dental implant treatment protects your facial bone structure and prevents the occurrence of oral health problems such as bone loss and tooth replacement.
All of our teeth complete their development until the age of 12-13 and teeth are not renewed again. Our teeth are exposed to many external influences throughout our lives. We lose our teeth due to decays, gum diseases, blows. Lost teeth are often overlooked. But they are an organ loss. Tooth losses have been compensated by bridges and removable dentures in the past years. However, with implant treatment, which has been widely used for 20 years, much easier and healthier treatments are made. Dental implant treatment is a series of procedures where the root of an artificial tooth, which is similar to the tooth root and produced from titanium, is placed in the jaw bone. This treatment is a painless procedure performed under local anesthesia and usually takes between 15-30 minutes. If more than one implant is made in a single session, the time will be longer accordingly. After the implant application, the patient can leave the clinic on his own and drive.
There is mild pain for a few days after implant application. But you can get rid of these pains with simple painkillers. Very few patients experience swelling and pain after treatment. A few days after treatment, people continue their normal lives. After the treatment, the implants remain in the bone for 2 or 3 months and they are fully fused with the jawbone. After a healthy waiting period, the teeth are placed on the implants. After the implantation of the teeth with procedures lasting a week, the patient regains his new teeth. According to the dentist’s decision, in some cases, prostheses can be made immediately after the implants are installed.
Who can have implants?
Implant treatment can be applied to almost all patients, except for some special cases. If you do not have any health problems that prevent recovery and your general health condition is under control, you can have implant treatment. There is no upper age limit for this treatment to be applied.
However, the lower age limit is 16-18 when growth is complete. The most important criteria for implant application are proper bone height and quality.
How to apply an implant ?
The treatment process of each patient with dental implants varies according to their individual needs and conditions. Usually two or three appointments are required for treatment. The first appointment is a consultation and the second appointment is the surgery appointment. Several more appointments may be required afterwards. Your dentist will decide this. At your first appointment, your oral surgeon will evaluate your situation and determine your treatment plan together. Your surgeon can also perform three-dimensional scans by reviewing your oral health status. At this stage, you should discuss all your questions with your surgeon. Your surgeon will handle all your problems and inform you about your treatment plan.
Dental implant treatment is planned according to the number and location of missing teeth. In the case of a single tooth missing, a porcelain coating is made on an implant. In case of missing 2-4 teeth, two implants are placed and a bridge is thrown between them. If all of the teeth have been lost, it is investigated whether the jawbone can carry the implants to be made. If it is able to carry, 6-10 implants are applied and a fixed prosthesis is made. Since melting can be seen in the jawbone at advanced ages, implants may not be made especially in the posterior regions. In such patients, implants and removable prostheses are used together. Retainers are placed on 2 or 4 implants placed in front. Removable prostheses are attached to these implants to ensure a better retention feature of the prostheses.
You will receive your dental implants during treatment. During the first consultation, you will discuss all options and determine the best method for your treatment. Then, when starting the treatment, your dentist will place the artificial tooth root in your jawbone. After the operation area is closed, you should rest until the anesthesia is over. How long your surgery will take depends on the location and number of implants your surgeon has placed.
4 different methods can be applied to patients in the application of dental implant treatment.
These:
- Stitched method
- Seamless method
- Single step method
- Two-step method
In the seamless method, in cases where the bone thickness is appropriate, after local anesthesia, only the gums are removed as much as the implant treatment area. The implant slot is opened with the help of a tool called bur. The implant is placed in its socket and a healing cover is placed on it.
In the two-stage method, the upper cover is attached to the implant after the healing process. This procedure, which is performed before the prosthesis measurement procedure, means a re-surgical intervention.
In all these treatment applications, bone problems are eliminated while placing the implant. If there are advanced surgical applications such as bone powder treatment, it is performed. Bleeding control is of vital importance in sutured surgical procedures. If bleeding control cannot be achieved during dental implant treatment, the patient is likely to experience bleeding complaints during the post-treatment period called the postoperative period. After about 1 week, stitches are removed and recovery is expected to be completed.