|
|
IMPLANTS
|
|
A dental implant is nothing more than a metal screw that is placed into the
jawbone. It acts as an anchor for a false tooth or a set of false teeth. The slide,
below to the right, shows the replacement of a lateral incisor with a dental implant
retained restoration.
|
|
Anyone in reasonable health or anyone who wants to replace missing teeth can get
an implant. You must have enough bone in the area of the missing teeth to provide
for the anchorage of the implants. Some people are missing all their teeth and
most of those are excellent candidates for dental implants, but today, we use
implants to replace small bridges, removable partial dentures and even missing
single teeth.
|
|
The success rate depends very much on where the implants are placed and what
they will be called upon to do. The best case scenario is the placement of
implants in the front portion of the lower jaw. Here success can be as high as
98-100%. In other areas of the mouth, success rates can drop
significantly. According to figures that we have today, the success of implants in
the front part of the upper jaw is anywhere from 90-95%. Success rates of implants
in the back part of the upper and lower jaw can be in the 85-95% range. The
success rate in my practice for the past five years has been 99+% for all implants
placed.
|
|
|
There are really not too many things that can go wrong with dental implants. They
can fail to integrate into the bone and come out. They can fracture or
break. There can be problems with the connection between the implant and the
prostheses. There can be an infection or an inflammatory condition in the soft
tissue and sometimes in the bone as a result of the implant placement. There can
be damage to the nerves in the lower jaw and there can be damage to the maxillary
sinus or the nasal cavity. All of these complications are rare and usually account
for less than 5% of all dental implant treatments. These complications can usually
be easily corrected.
|
|
The question is, who should you see about getting missing teeth replaced? Before
implants, you went to either your general dentist or, if you wanted a specialist,
to an Oral Surgeon. It’s the same today. If you want to replace missing teeth,
talk to Dr. Zajacz and he will be glad to discuss the use of dental implants in
that process. If you decide that dental implants are for you, then your Dr. Zajacz
can arrange for you to meet with an oral surgeon, for that phase of the treatment.
|
|
The actual procedure to surgically place a dental implant is done under local
anesthesia and is generally not at all painful. When the anesthesia wears off
about three or four hours later, you might expect some discomfort. The level of
discomfort is quite different from patient to patient, but most patients do not
have significant problems.
|
|
Some patients do have varying degrees of pain or discomfort, which may last for
several days. Swelling and bruising may also develop.
|
| |
PRIVACY