Implant supported dentistry has changed the face of how we deal with tooth loss and continues to revolutionize the role that dental prosthetics play in supporting tooth replacement. Given that tooth loss is as old as man, and quite common due to age, diseases, or accidents, this meant that a large segment of the population was using wires, dental cement, and adhesives to help hold their new false teeth in place.
With the help of implant supported dentistry, this is slowly changing. Today we can replace not only the upper, visible tooth, which is more commonly known as the crown but also the lost root, through dental implants.
Dental implants, being a new technology, raises a lot of questions among patients that are considering implant supported dentistry to replace their lost teeth. Some patients have questions about the longevity of the implants while others just want to know if they are eligible to get implant supported dentistry. This second question is more complex than a simple yes or no answer because from a technical perspective virtually anyone can have the benefit of implant supported dentistry.
However, it is important to remember that with everything there are usually caveats. In the case of implants, the caveat is that this kind of dentistry requires oral surgery to place the implants. As such, patients need to be healthy enough to receive an oral surgery. In addition to this, there are a few conditions that may prevent patients from getting dental implants or may delay the process. These include diseases like uncontrolled diabetes, periodontal diseases, and treatment for cancer that includes radiation.
Implant supported dentistry is one of the most successful forms of replacing lost teeth, partly due to the fact that we are able to replace the root with an implant that holds the crown of the tooth in place securely. This kind of success does not happen by accident. We will take X-rays to determine if the patient's jawbone has sufficient density to support and sustain a dental implant. Since implant supported dentistry depends most heavily on the quality of the implant, the first step is to secure the implant itself.
In many patients, we will find that the loss of teeth has led to a deterioration of the jawbone itself. In situations like this, we will need to perform an alveolar bone graft to make sure that there is a sufficiently dense block of bone into which we can place the implant. This kind of an onlay bone graft typically requires that the patient recovers for around three to six months before we can proceed to the next steps of the implant supported dentistry.
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