A dental implant is a “root” device, usually made of titanium, used in dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth to replace missing teeth. A typical implant consists of a titanium screw (resembling a tooth root) with a roughened or smooth surface. The majority of dental implants are made out of commercially pure titanium, which is available in 4 grades depending upon the amount of carbon and iron contained.

They are used for the support and retention of dentures, fixed bridgework and the replacement of one or more missing teeth.

Virtually all dental implants placed today are root-form endosseous implants, i.e., they appear similar to an actual tooth root (and thus possess a “root-form”). They are placed within the jaw bone and become attached to surrounding jaw bone. The bone of the jaw accepts and osseointegrates with the titanium post.

Osseointegration refers to the fusion of the implant surface with the surrounding bone. Dental implants will fuse with bone, however they lack the periodontal ligament, so they will feel slightly different than natural teeth do during chewing functions.

The implants remain rigid rather than have some flexibility that natural teeth have because they are attached individually to a periodontal ligament.

Prior to the advent of root-form endosseous implants, most implants were either blade endosseous implants, in that the shape of the metal piece placed within the bone resembled a flat blade, or sub-periosteal implants, in which a framework was constructed to lie upon and was attached with screws to the exposed bone of the jaws.

Dental implants can be used to support a number of dental prostheses, including crowns, implant-supported bridges or dentures. They can also be used as anchorage for orthodontic tooth movement. The use of dental implants permits un-directional tooth movement without reciprocal action.

You should know that not every person may be a candidate for receiving a dental implant.There has to be enough supporting bone present particularly in the upper jaw that is in such close proximity to the maxillary sinus. You also must have good oral hygiene and be in good general health.

That being said, certain invasive surgical procedures can be implemented like bone grafts, or bone augmentations and/or sinus lifts to provide enough bone. One obvious contra-indication for implants is placing them in the lower jaw to close or touching to the mandibular canal which has the mandibular nerve running through it.

Placing implants in such places could result in prolonged and/or permanent numbness of the lower lip and jaw. A very undesirable outcome indeed!

Although many dental professionals can provide you with implants, you must do your due diligence and ensure that the professional you select, is highly trained and experienced in dental implant procedures.

Oral surgeons, Periodontists, Endodontists and general dental practitioners who have had the necessary training and education can perform this service for you.

The actual dental implant procedure is not usually painful during or after the surgical placement. It is usually performed with the use of a local anesthetic but alternative methods like nitrous oxide, IV sedation and/or general anesthetic procedures are available.

If you decide to have your General Practitioner do this procedure, make sure to ask how many he or she has done. And ask them where and when they got their training in implant procedures.

The healing time required prior to loading and placing the denture, crown or fixed bridge on the implant may vary widely. I believe most practitoners will allow from 2-6 months for the healing process and complete bone integration to take place.

That said, the immediate placement into a recent extraction site and immediate loading has recently become more common because the success rates for this procedure are now quite acceptable.

If you should see a dental implant advertisement that states ” Teeth in a day”,it is a procedure more appropriate for a completely edentulous (no teeth present) case where all of the teeth are to be extracted or have already been extracted.

You might ask what is the rate of success for dental implants? Well that depends on the operators skills, on the quality and quantity of bone present, the patient’s oral hygiene and condition of the remaining teeth and supportive gum tissue.

A patients who smokes, have diabetes, poor oral hygiene habits and/or other compromising general health issues are NOT very good candidates for a successful implant procedures.

The success rate in good candidates are extremely high. Around 95%. The cost of a basic dental implant is typically $1,250 to $3,000. Depending on your circumstances, additional costs for things such as in the case of a posterior mandible, bone regeneration, sinus elevation, and wide diameter or narrow diameter implants can quickly escalate the costs involved to as much as $15,000 to $30,000 for the complete procedure for the upper or lower jaw.

That being said, a related cost of a un-complicated single implant can vary between 1500.00 and 3,000.00 depending where you live and who is doing the surgery.

Many dental schools for example may have a specialty program which may offer to do a single implant for a considerable discount compared to private practice. Consequently, if you live near a dental school and get accepted into their dental school implant program, you may be able to have an implant or implants done at a reduced price.

Be aware that most estimates given for implants do not always include the superstructure that will be placed on top of the implant. Therefore, it will be up to you find out what the total cost will be including the cost of the crown or crowns, bridgework or dentures that may be required.

For edentulous patients who have to wear lower dentures, the implant procedure has become the next best thing to sliced bread. Providing you are a good candidate and can afford it, dental implants can improve your quality of life considerably.

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A dentist is someone who is qualified to take care of all aspects of your oral health. Do you have a family dentist or a regular dentist you visit when you have a toothache? Do you trust the solutions they provide? Are you comfortable talking to them about your dental problems? Your dentist or family doctor should be someone you can approach and tell them about the challenges you are facing. When a problem is discovered, it the dentist’s responsibility to come up with a permanent solution. You shouldn’t accept every solution that comes your way. Some solutions are temporary. Temporary solutions will force you to keep going back to the dentist from time to time. Dentures are one of the solutions a dentist can administer to you. They are preferred by many dentists for a number of reasons.

1. Level of confidence

Confidence is something that can change how you walk, talk or even how you express yourself to those around you. As a matter of fact, if you are confident, you will be able to stand up for the things you believe in. However, on a personal level, if you don’t have confidence, then you can’t express yourself well. If you have no confidence, then chances are your self-esteem level will also below. If you have low self-esteem, you will feel terrible about yourself and this will kill your confidence levels too. Self-esteem issues could be brought about by your dental issues. Sometimes people have low self-esteem and low confidence levels because they are ashamed of their dental issues like missing teeth or even tooth decay. Once you get partial dentures inserted into your gum, your teeth will look perfect and you will be able to feel confident that you have a lovely smile and you will be confident enough to face any crowd.

2. Better functionality

Sometimes you could avoid eating certain foods because your teeth are acting up, and other times it could be because you are healing from dental procedures that you underwent. One thing you need to know is that when you have dentures fitted in your gums, you will be able to comfortably eat and chew without any problems. You will not be scared that certain foods might cause pain when you chew them.

3. Verbal communication

Communication is something that is mainly done verbally. Sometimes you can use sign language to communicate. If you are able to talk, then it is advisable that you use verbal communication. Sometimes this is a challenge if you have missing teeth. However, when you get these teeth replaced, you will be able to communicate with ease. Dentures will ensure that you pronounce everything correctly.

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Your dentures broke and now they’re off being fixed. But how are they fixed? Who fixes them and what kind of materials do they use? Is it safe to rely on a laboratory for denture repair? These questions and more may be going through your mind as you wait for your order to be completed. Understanding how a dental lab works and the qualifications of the staff can help put your mind at ease about any work you are having done. It can also satisfy simple curiosity.

Denture Repair Lab Location and Staffing

Denture repair takes place in a dental laboratory. The lab may be located within the dentist office, but more likely it is a stand-alone facility to which the dentist or denturist ships appliances that need attention. Dental labs also fix dentures based on orders received directly from the patient. These orders are placed via the phone, Internet or through mail-order.

A reputable lab will use American Dental Association (ADA) approved or certified materials and have a mix of managers, dentists and certified dental technicians on staff. This helps ensure safe practices as well as quality technical and customer service for the consumer.

Specially trained denture technicians work at the laboratory where they may build and fix many types of dental appliances from crowns and bridges to dentures and retainers. Or the lab may focus solely on denture construction and repair. Workers primarily use hand tools to create an exact model of the patient’s mouth or teeth. The technician follows written instructions from the dentist and uses models, casts or molds of the patients’ teeth or mouth, if available.

Building And Fixing Dentures

To repair dentures, a technician may have to do any number of things. They might have to mix ingredients such as the high quality acrylic used to make dentures with the coloring agent used to color the gum section of the device. Technicians may use small spatula-like tools to spread the acrylic over a break or fracture or they may need to use wire cutters, Bunsen burners or soldering devices to reinforce the device with wire.

In order to make the dentures from scratch, technicians may work with dental appliance molds, which are used to recreate the shape of the patient’s mouth and teeth. Workers will sculpt and shape the forms to specification, add in reinforcing wires, if needed, and finish up by grinding and polishing the final product.

When it comes to teeth, technicians follow casts or impressions taken from the patient’s teeth or refer to the original order to repair a tooth. Repair is generally easier and quicker when it’s only for a tooth as opposed to an entire denture set or partial set.

Some labs hire workers who perform all aspects of denture repair. Others hire technicians who focus on one area of work and the denture passes along to different technicians for different needs. One worker handles the mixing and coloring, another may handle the molding and still another may do the grinding and polishing.

Many denture repair technicians have completed a two-year degree in dental laboratory technology followed by several years of training and experience. Industry-specific certifications are also very common among technicians.

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The only realistic alternative is pulling the diseased tooth and replacing it with a bridge, implant or partial denture. Fortunately, a root canal procedure almost always saves the tooth and permits it to remain in place for the remainder of the patient’s life. More than 95% of all procedures are successful.

Unfortunately, things do occasionally take a wrong turn despite the dentist’s best efforts. Remember, the procedure includes the removal of the tooth’s nerve and pulp. The resulting hollow area inside the tooth (the “root canal”) is then cleansed, sterilized and sealed. Along with taking out all the damaged, unhealthy nerve tissue, your dentist will attempt to remove all the bacteria, toxins and other contaminants existing within the tooth. The hollow space once occupied by the nerve is then filled in and sealed off so that bacteria and other irritants are unable to occupy any physical location that is beyond the reach of your body’s natural defenses. Sometimes, though, the original infection flares back up or a new infection of the tooth begins. There are a few reasons why this might occur:

• A tiny crack in the root of the tooth may have gone undetected and now provides an entryway for bacteria and other contaminants;
• The shape of a root canal can vary greatly from patient to patient, and some shapes are more difficult for the dentist to thoroughly cleanse;
• If more than the anticipated number of root canals (or unanticipated forks or branches of the same root canal) are within the tooth, your dentist might have inadvertently skipped cleansing one of them;
• The dental restoration (a crown, for example) applied after the root canal procedure may fail and allow bacteria to re-enter the inner cavity of the tooth (we address this particular process, known as “coronal leakage,” in more detail in a separate article); and
• The sealant used in the procedure may degrade and fail over time, once again allowing bacteria to contaminate the root canal.

The procedure is considered a failure if the treated tooth continues to harbor bacteria or contaminants which cause inflammation of the tissues surrounding the root of the tooth. In some cases, root canal complications can exist without any symptoms, even though dental X-rays reveal signs of inflammation. In other cases, the patient might experience tooth pain and/or gum swelling or tenderness.

If your root canal procedure fails, a second treatment might be appropriate. In some cases this repeat treatment succeeds. In other cases, however, a second procedure may not be possible. Even if it is, however, the second treatment might also fail. Only a couple of options remain if you’re in this situation: extraction of the tooth or endodontic surgery to try to save it.

A root-end resection (called an “apicoectomy” by endodontists) is the most common type of endodontic surgery performed if a pocket of infection remains in the bone following a procedure. During this procedure, which is almost always performed by an endodontist or oral surgeon, he or she will make a small incision in the gum around the tooth, remove the infected tissue (and in some cases, the tip of the root) and then sterilize the area. A small filling is sometimes placed to seal off the tooth’s root canal. Apicoectomies are not performed very often, but they boast a high success rate.

In fewer than 5% of all root canal procedures, within three days the tooth becomes painful and the surrounding gum may swell and become tender. This complication is caused by bacterial toxins being released into the jaw by dying bacteria. An antibiotic will take care of this temporary problem. Usually, however, patients feel little or no pain after a root canal treatment. Many patients report almost immediate relief from their symptoms. If the tooth infection was advanced, there may be some moderate to severe pain after the procedure, but it will slowly improve every day.

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Dental implants have certainly come a long way, and most of them only take an hour to install in your mouth! For people who have been using denture adhesive and are sick of the constant denture care that comes along with adhesive dentures, denture implants are definitely for you!

Lets first talk about the benefits of the old style false teeth, adhesive dentures. These dentures look nice, but fit in your mouth like a mouth guard which completely covers your palate. An adhesive has to be applied to your gums and dentures to hold the dentures into place. The biggest benefit to this denture type is that when you smile they usually look great, and they allow you to chew small food. The biggest drawbacks of course is that the adhesive is messy, uncomfortable, and expensive as you have to purchase it weekly. Another huge drawback is that you can’t eat the foods you want to eat. Unless its mushy small food, you can’t chew it without your dentures dislodging from the adhesive and causing uncomfortable movement and embarrassing moments while eating. Also with the palate covered, you can’t even taste some of the food you choose to eat with these types of dentures.

Well, no need to fear because implant dentures are here. There are several things that can be categorized in the benefit of denture implants category. The first thing is that the dentures are smaller and more light weight. They don’t cover the palate as they just include the teeth and gum line as part of the dentures. The dentures snap into place on the implants which make the teeth extremely sturdy and makes the idea of biting into an apple a reality. There are no messy adhesives to clean up or buy as all you have to do is simply snap the denture out of place and clean it like a normal denture with a dentist friendly cleaning solvent. Another great benefit is that you will be able to taste food again! You will be amazed at how much of a difference it makes to have your denture implants expose your palate which will help you enjoy food like you used to.

As you can see the benefits of denture implants are many and rightly so! Denture implants are changing the way people view life without real teeth and making the transition to dentures much more natural and easy. If you want to start enjoying these wonderful benefits simple make an appointment with your dentist to discuss the different implant types and installation options. Stop suffering with adhesive dentures and make the switch today!

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