subject: Understanding Your Dental Implant [print this page] When you are thinking about dental implants you may be interested to hear about the history behind the implants. We have discovered that the Mayan civilization used implants that were embedded into a bone over one thousand years ago.
Of course, when this civilization used these types of implants they were not doing so with the technology that we have today. Instead, they used shells to fill the sockets of the teeth that were either removed or missing.
There was a specific jaw that was excavated that many scientists studied for a long time. This was the jaw of a twenty year old woman and when the pieces of shell were originally found many scientists thought that the people put these piece in after the woman had died.
It was not until 1970 that a scientist studied the jaw with radiographs to discover that pieces of bone had formed around the base of the shell. These pieces of bone conclusively prove that she was alive when the shells were put in her mouth.
There was an Italian medical doctor in the 1950's that started using a titanium screw for his own dental prosthesis. The success that he had in his own mouth made him try this method of attachment on his own patients.
He was successful with his patients and his clinical studies were published in the late nineteen sixties. Scientists continued to study this possibility and dental implants have become a common practice for many people in the industry.
If you are scheduled to have implants put into your mouth you should make sure that you take the time to understand the training that your dentist should have. You should only have the procedure done by someone that is licensed and trained in the United States.
When a dentist is going to be placing these implants in general dental practice the General Dental Council has published strict guidelines for these dentists. Many countries require dentists to finish an extra amount of schooling to be able to do this.
As you go into your surgery you should have met with your dentist or your dental surgeon many times. He or she will need to look in your mouth to make sure that they have a good understanding of the way your mouth is structured.
They will have an extensive plan for the surgery before you even go into the operating room. After you enter the room in which you are going to have the implants put in the doctor will put you under.
You will not be awake throughout the procedure because the pain would just be too excruciating. Throughout the procedure you will feel like you are sleeping but you will not be able to feel the pain in your jaw.
When you are taking the time to understand your procedure there are many different factors that will play into your specific case. The amount of bone that you have in your jaw and the quality of that bone will have a big affect on the length of time the procedure will take.
First, the surgeon will have to insert a screw into your jaw. This will be the so called root of your new tooth and will anchor the tooth to your jaw to make sure that it will not come out or move throughout the rest of your life.
This means that the doctors will drill into your jaw to put the screw directly into the bone of your jaw. When the screw has been put into place your body will then need to take time to get used to the screw and your jaw will form bone around the screw.
Once the screw has been anchored into your jaw you will have to go back into the dental office to have the tooth like object put on top of the screw. This is the part of the implant that you will see and you will use in your everyday life.
When you are waiting to have the tooth put on the dentist or surgeon should put a cap on the screw to make sure you are comfortable. The cap should stay secure and if it does it will protect the rest of your teeth and the screw.
If you need an implant you have to make sure that you are taking the time to fully understand the process you are going to be putting your body through. The more that you understand the more prepared you will be.
