subject: Everything you wanted to know about dental implants [print this page] Everything you wanted to know about dental implants
A dental implant is an artificial tooth root used in dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth. Virtually all dental implants placed in the 21st century appear similar to an actual tooth root and are placed within the bone. Most implants were either blade endosseous implants, in that the shape of the metal piece placed within the bone resembled a flat blade, or subperiosteal 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. A typical implant consists of a titanium screw 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. More recently grade 5 titanium has increased in use. Grade 5 titanium. Titanium 6AL-4V is believed to offer similar Osseo integration levels as commercially pure titanium. Implant surfaces may be modified by plasma spraying, anodizing, etching or sandblasting to increase the surface area and the integration potential of the implant. In its most basic form the placement of an Osseo integration implant requires a preparation into the bone using either hand or precision drills with highly regulated speed to prevent burning or pressure necrosis of the bone.
The amount of time required to place an implant will vary depending on the experience of the practitioner, the quality and quantity of the bone and the difficulty of the individual situation. There are different approaches to place dental implants after tooth extraction and these are-
Practitioners allow 26 months for healing but preliminary studies show that early loading of implant may not increase early or long term complications. If the implant is loaded too soon, it is possible that the implant may move which results in failure. The subsequent time to heal, possibly graft and eventually place a new implant may take up to eighteen months. For this reason many are reluctant to push the envelope for healing. Dental implant success is related to operator skill, quality and quantity of the bone available at the site, and the patient's oral hygiene. The consensus is that implants carry a success rate of around 95%.
