Dental implants

What are dental implants?
A dental implant is a titanium post fixed in the jaw bone. It is used to support one or several false teeth. In practice, both false teeth and support posts are called implants.

Are the implants safe? For how long do they last?
The implant is a tested and very safe treatment. 90of the modern implants last up to 15 years.

Can the implants be used to replace the missing teeth?
This depends on the status of the jaw bone. Your dentist will make special tests which will assess the existing bone quantity. If the bone is not enough or if it is not healthy enough the implant placement might be impossible without bone grafting in the respective area.

Are the implants painful?
Implant placement requires a small surgery operation. It can be performed under local anaesthesia with sedation or under general anaesthesia. You will not feel any kind of pain at that moment, but you will feel some minor discomfort during the week subsequent to the surgery. This discomfort may be due to the stitches and it is a part of the normal healing process.

How long does the treatment take?
The dentist can offer you a treatment plan before beginning it. Usually, permanent teeth are fixed 6 to 9 months after the implant insertion. This time interval is required for the implants to integrate in the jaw bone. This takes, at least, 3 months in the case of the lower jaw and 6 months in the case of the upper jaw. Sometimes, the implants can be stable enough and the artificial teeth can be earlier put into place. If you have one, two or three replaced teeth, you will be subject to a provisory restoration in the mean time. If you have full dentin then they can be worn during the healing period, once they were modified during the surgery operation.

Is the artificial tooth cleaning difficult?
The artificial tooth cleaning is not more difficult than the natural tooth cleaning. However, it is required to have them hygienised for 1 to 6 months at the dentist.

If I had gingival affections when I had my natural teeth, is it possible for the artificial teeth to have the same problems?
Yes, unless you take appropriate care of them. If you keep them clean and if you do not smoke, you will not have any problems.

Are the implants visible?
The dentist will make sure the implants are not visible during the normal movements of the mouth and lips. However, it is required for you to see them so that you may clean then appropriately.

What happens if the implant does not integrate in the jaw bone?
This happens very rarely. If the implant loosens during the healing period or immediately afterwards, then it is easy to detach it, and the healing takes place normally. Once the jaw has healed, another implant can be inserted or the dentist can make a bridge by using the implanted artificial teeth which got “clung”.

Is this treatment expensive?
Unfortunately, yes. However, in several situations, the treatment cost is only a little more expensive than the conventional treatment with bridges and crowns. There are also advantages to it. An implant replacing only one tooth eliminated the need to cut the neighbouring teeth in order for the bridges to be supported by the crowns. Due to their movements, the normal prostheses cause speech and feeding difficulties. In exchange, the teeth attached on implants do not cause such problems.