What is a dental implant?
Implants are artificial dental roots made of titanium, which are surgically placed into the jawbone in the area where tooth loss occurs. Titanium forms a sturdy base for the artificial teeth to be made on it (by osteointegration) by being integrated into the bone. Then, the loss of teeth in the region is restored with the porcelain tooth made on the implant. At the same time, implants also help protect the patient's facial structure by preventing osteoporosis which is caused by the lack of teeth in the jawbone.
Surgery placement of the implants is possible with one or two-stage surgical procedure. First, the implant is placed in the jaw bone with local anesthesia. Following this surgical procedure, from the first 2 to 4 months, the implants are placed under the gum and expected to integrate into the jawbone. During this process, if possible, a temporary prosthesis is applied to the patient and it is recommended to consume soft foods.
The second stage begins when the implant is integrated into the jaw bone. An average of one week after the gingival former is installed, it is measured the size on the implant and sent to the laboratory. In the following sessions, various rehearsals such as substructure harmony, determination of the shape and color of the tooth are performed. When the porcelain tooth takes its final form, the gingival former is removed from the implant and an abutment in the form of a minimised tooth is screwed into the implant. The treatment is completed by bonding the prepared tooth to this abutment.
What kind of prosthesis can be made on implants?
A single crown prosthesis (tooth coating) is made on the implant to restore single tooth loss. In case of multiple tooth losses, a sufficient number of implants can be placed in the edentulous region and a fixed prosthesis can be made on them in a bridge style. The number of implants to be installed is determined by the dentist taking into account factors such as the number of teeth lost, the condition of the jaw bone, what kind of prosthesis will be made. For instance, if there are two tooth loss next to each other, 2 implants should be placed, and if there are 3 tooth loss next to each other, 2 to 3 implants should be placed.
Why should I prefer dental implants over traditional dentures?
There are several reasons for this: First of all, neighboring teeth do not need to be worn to fill the dental cavity. While the tooth to be made on the implant is made closest to the original tooth, at the same time, since the implant itself functions as a root in the bone, it prevents the bone from osteoporosis over the years and maintains its volume. Besides, by providing retention for removable dentures, it eliminates the difficulty of using lower complete dentures and improves the patient's quality of life.
So am I a candidate for implant treatment?
If you want to have an implant installed, your medical history should be evaluated along with a comprehensive oral and radiological examination. If your mouth is not suitable for implant treatment, treatments (bone meal application etc.) that can be made to make it suitable are recommended to you.
Do health problems or age factor prevent a patient from receiving dental implant?
Oncology patients, patients with clotting problems, patients with uncontrolled endocrine disorders, patients who have recently received radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy and pregnant women are not suitable candidates for dental implant treatment. Apart from that, dental implant treatment is successfully applied to patients of all ages from the age of 16-18, unless there is any problem preventing treatment in general health with the completion of development.
What happens when the implant fails to osteointegration to the bone?
According to the latest studies, implants osseointegrate to the jaw bone with a rate of over 95 percent. Although rare, during the osteointegration process, negativity can be experienced due to reasons such as bone quality, intensive smoking, negative events during surgery, infection. In these cases, an implant that fails to osteointegration to the bone is removed from the bone (after waiting for a while if necessary) and a new implant provided by our clinic is placed in the relevant region.
Can a Dental Implant be Placed at the Same Time as the Tooth is Removed?
In cases where the condition of our patient's tooth to be removed and bone structure are appropriate, - mostly in the aesthetic region- following tooth extraction, we can perform implant placement, or even prosthesis over implant at the same session. Thus, our patients who apply to our clinic for tooth extraction can leave our clinic with a new tooth. X-ray / tomography examination and intraoral examination are essential to determine whether our patients are eligible for this procedure called "instant implant placement and instant loading".
What are the new developments in implant treatment?
In our country, as in the whole world, implant treatments have evolved in a different direction with the integration of digital technologies. With computer support, treatment planning and implant / prosthesis applications can be made faster and more predictable. With special programs, implants can be placed digitally on tomography in appropriate size and diameters, and implant operations can be performed faster, more comfortable, predictable and with minimal error with the guides prepared in 3D printer accordingly. Even in appropriate cases, the patient's prosthesis can be designed/manufactured and made ready before the implant operation.
Can not a fixed prosthesis (bridge) be made by applying fewer implants than 6 implants?
The number of implants required to make a fixed prosthesis is 6 in traditional implant treatment. "All-on-four", which is a relatively new system, provides the opportunity to load the fixed prosthesis on 4 implants. This system provides the opportunity to bypass related bone deficiencies by using angled implants in cases that require bone dilation operations such as sagging sinus cavities and thin jaw bones. A hybrid, that is, a screwed prosthesis that receives both implant and tissue support, is made on the 4 implants applied.
