Thursday, August 31, 2006

Dental Implant : How are dental implants used to replace missing teeth?

When you are using a dental implant to replace missing teeth, your dentist will first determine if you have enough supporting bone to safely place a dental implant to support a prosthetic tooth. The implant is placed into the bone in a very specific surgical procedure to insure that the implant will not be rejected by your body. In order to place the implant in the bone, it is necessary to cut through the gum tissue. The gum tissue will usually be sewed up either over the implant or around the implant after it is placed into the bone. The implant will then be allowed to heal in the bone for several months until the union is strong enough to support the prosthetic tooth.



3:What kind of dentist do I need to see?
Any dentist can place or restore a dental implant. Dental implants are usually placed by Oral Surgeons, Periodontists, Prosthodontists or General Practitioners. Prosthodontists and General Practitioners will usually be the one's who restore the "teeth". You should start by consulting with your general practitioner or a prosthodontist and determine how much experience and training they have in the general field of dental Implantology. If you elect to go with one of these practitioners, you can follow their recommendation as to who will actually place your dental implant. We will talk more about training and experience in the other sections of this module.



5. Are dental implants a permanent solution to tooth loss?
Yes dental implants are considered to be a permanent solution. There are, however, some caveats... Sometimes the dental implant does not integrate and it will be lost. In those cases, another implant might be placed that would stay there and become permanent. Sometimes, the restoration will have to be repaired or serviced... As a matter of fact, most restorations will require some degree of maintenance and sometimes replacement over a period of time. You should be prepared for future expenses in this regard.



6. Are there people who cannot have dental implants?
Most everyone can have dental implants placed, but there are some exceptions and some cautions... Patients who are uncontrolled diabetics or have severe psychological problems are not good canditates for dental implants. Patients with severe medical compromises are not good candidates for anything involving surgery although the dental implant procedures can normally be carried out under local anesthesia and are therefor less risky than surgical procedures requiring general anesthesia.

Patients missing a large amount of bone are not good candidates, but bone grafts can be used to replace the missing bone and allow the patient to have dental implants. You should speak very carefully to your dentist and find out just how good a candidate you are for dental implants. If there are things that will make you a better candidate, you should understand them and help to make the decision as to whether they will be implemented.

Those people who require significant bone grafting for implant placement should engage the services of a qualified oral surgeon. Many minor bone grafts can be accomplished by any competent dentist placing dental implants.

http://www.drmagner.com/implants/index3.html#how

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