What is an Implant?
A dental implant is made of titanium and integrated into the jawbone, taking over the function of the tooth roots. These roots are used to support dentures. By replacing missing teeth with fixed or removable prostheses, the patient’s chewing function and aesthetics are restored.
Implants are long-lasting and can be used throughout life. Additionally, implants have a similar appearance to natural teeth. They are also preferred as an aesthetic solution because they provide comfortable use. Implant surgery is performed by a specialist dentist and is performed under local or general anesthesia.
Who is Implant Treatment Suitable for?
Implant treatments are not recommended for every patient if the tooth root is damaged. People who can receive implants are as follows:
- The patient must be over 18 years of age.
- Since the implant is a surgical intervention, the patient must be mature enough to complete the development of the jaw and face.
- If an implant is recommended to the person after the first examination, the jaw structure is examined with an x-ray and a test for suitability for treatment is performed.
- Diabetics are not suitable for this treatment method. The procedure can be performed if it is ensured that the sugar level is under control.
- People who have osteoporosis problems should first be treated and then proceed to implant treatment.
- If the patient is using blood thinning medication, he/she should stop taking the medication before treatment.
What are the stages of the implant treatment process?
First, a general examination of our patients is performed for the implant treatment process. Because the general health condition of our patients to whom the implant will be applied directly affects the implant. If there is no obstacle for treatment, an intraoral x-ray is taken. It is decided where and how the implant will be placed and whether the patient is suitable for it.
Then, this treatment is offered to the patient. The amount of bone, soft tissue and missing teeth in the area where the implant will be applied vary depending on the treatment to be applied.
If it is decided to apply an implant to our patient after the examination , it is decided which brand of implant will be used. Then, the soft tissue is opened for our patient through an incision. The area is prepared for the implant that will be placed in the bone.
After the implant is placed, it is closed with stitches. After this procedure, we wait approximately 2-3 months for the construction of the single prosthesis, which we call implant-supported .
Of course, in some cases, much longer periods of time and more advanced surgeries are required. However, nowadays, there are cases where implants and prostheses are installed on the same day . For this, certain stages are followed and it is determined whether the patient is suitable for this.
Then, the tooth to be placed on the implant is measured and sent to the laboratory. After that, after the rehearsal stages, the upper prosthesis that will be placed on the implants is completed. These upper dentures are made of metal-supported porcelain, zirconium or full porcelain.
How is Implant Treatment Done?
Although using screws for dental implant treatment is scary for many patients, this treatment is a reliable method with a high healing effect. The process of implant treatment is as follows:
- First of all, the patient is sedated to prevent the feeling of pain.
- Before starting the treatment, information is obtained by examining the jaw and facial structure with a jaw x-ray.
- The dimensions of the application area are created by examining the jaw bone structure.
Dental Implant Applications
- It is carried out in two directions. Temporary caps are used for single-stage treatments.
- If the treatment will consist of two stages, the area will be closed with gum by applying a dental implant . In this step, the prostheses are attached after the healing process.
- In dental implant application, the upper jaw area begins to heal after 6 months . The lower jaw area heals after 3 months .
- Implant is one of the most reliable techniques among dental treatment types. Patients can resume eating and speaking activities in a short time.
Zirconium Implant
- It is a type of implant that emerged to improve the function of titanium implant materials.
- Zirconium is a more durable material than titanium.
- It is applied for patients with narrow chin area.
- Since the color of zirconium is almost identical to the natural tooth color, it is frequently used in implant and dental veneer treatments.
- The application method is the same as a dental implant.
- Negative effects such as discoloration and abrasion do not occur in zirconium materials. It does not have any harmful effects on the body.
What are the Advantages of Implant Treatments?
People’s oral and dental health is important at many points. Ignoring possible dental problems without preventing them may cause visual and hereditary problems. The advantages of implant treatment, which is important for oral health, which directly affects a person’s daily life, are as follows:
- Lost teeth can be regained by the implant method.
- If there is a missing tooth or damaged tooth root in the mouth, it can be healed with an implant.
- Implant applications in natural tooth color do not attract attention. It is a permanent process. It has no side effects. It can be used for a lifetime.
- Interdental spaces caused by tooth extractions are eliminated with implant treatment.
- It emerges as an advantageous technique for patients with aesthetic concerns and their needs are met at the maximum level.
People sometimes make comparisons between bridge treatment and implant treatments. At this point, implant treatment is always considered advantageous. In bridge treatments, material loss also occurs due to the cutting of teeth. Reduction procedures are applied in bridge treatment, which is considered a more painful process.
Implant treatment is a dental prosthesis and provides maximum satisfaction. It is a treatment applied with advanced technology, harmless and without tooth loss.
In Which Cases Implants Cannot Be Performed?
Situations in which implants will not be performed depend on many factors such as the patient’s jaw structure and suitability during the examination.
- If the patient has a fear of the dentist, the physician may decide that the operation is not appropriate, taking into account the patient’s condition.
- The patient’s jaw structure is not suitable for the implant procedure and there is a possibility that the operation will not be completed successfully. (There is no space between the teeth for the process to occur).
- If the patient has conditions such as diabetes and heart diseases, the situation is evaluated by the physician.
- The patient has a blood problem and the bleeding cannot be stopped.
- The implant is not applied if alcohol or other prohibited substances are used.
- The implant treatment process is not preferred in pregnant women because it carries risks. For this procedure, the pregnancy must be terminated.
Points to Consider for Implant Care
Before moving on to the questions you may be wondering about, let us finally give you information about the points to consider in implant care.
Dental implant not only restores the normal functions of your mouth, but also allows you to have a confident smile. Modern implants look and feel like natural, healthy teeth.
However, to maintain the appearance and functions of dental implants, regular maintenance and cleaning are required, just like natural teeth. If you neglect the care of your implants and your oral hygiene, you will give opportunity to possible tooth and gum problems. So, what should we pay attention to for dental implant care? Let’s look at it item by item.
- Be Careful of Hard, Sticky and Hot Foods
Hard, extremely hot or sticky foods may damage your implant. You need to be much more careful when consuming such foods. Let’s add a few examples of these types of foods below.
- Hard Chips
- nuts
- dried fruits
- Apples and similar hard fruits
- hard candies
- caramels
- Hard vegetables such as carrots
- Not Using Abrasive Products Too Frequently
After you get your implants, you need to carefully choose the oral care products you will use. Instead of toothpastes and mouthwashes with high abrasive effects, you should prefer more gentle products. For this purpose, there will be toothpastes and mouthwashes recommended by your doctor. We recommend that you follow your physician’s advice.
- The Brush You Choose Should Be Soft
After getting an implant, you may also need to change your brush preferences. Choose toothbrushes with bristles that are as flexible and soft as possible. Brushes with hard bristles can scratch the surfaces of your dental implants.
- Pay Attention to Using Dental Floss
In fact, this should not be separated as implant care. Because the use of dental floss is also a very important point for natural teeth. If you have dental implants, flossing becomes a little more important. The biggest reason for this is that plaque easily accumulates around the implant, which can cause problems in oral hygiene. You can remove these residues by using dental floss.
- Stay Away from Smoking and Alcohol
Alcohol and cigarette use also cause damage to natural teeth over time. The same is true for implants. It has also been observed that drinking alcohol affects the healing process of dental implants.
- Visit Your Dentist Regularly
Let us remind you that you should visit your dentist regularly for checks on your general oral health and implants. It is also very important that you follow your doctor’s advice and guidance.
Questions You May Be Wondering?
Can I Get Implants at a Young Age?
Dental implants for young people can be applied at the age when bone development is completed in case of force majeure. This can reach the age of 18 . Although rare, in some young people, the age at which their bones are completed may reach up to 20 years of age.
- Loss of function of the tooth root due to a problem occurring in the gums in the mouth,
- Lack of sufficient basis to apply prosthesis or alternative treatment methods,
- The jaw structure allows this treatment to be applied,
In such cases, the application can be performed on people over the age of 18 . Since tooth development in young women is completed at an earlier age than in men, implant treatment can be performed at the age of 16 on average .
Is Implant Treatment Risky?
Implant treatment is not considered among risky applications. However, as in every surgical procedure, the implant should be applied after thoroughly evaluating the patient’s general condition and medical history. The condition of the nerves is taken into consideration by obtaining previous dental records and existing dental images.
- During the procedure, nerve injuries and bleeding may occur. For this reason, the intraoral anatomy must first be evaluated.
- Apart from this, there may be slight bleeding, tingling and pain during the healing process after the procedure.
How Much Are Implant Fees?
Implant prices may vary depending on various situations.
- The experience of the physician who will perform the application and the price range determined by him,
- Since the materials to be used during the implant are industrial materials, the production price is
- The condition of the teeth and how long the operation will take,
- How many teeth will be implanted,
Situations such as this are taken into consideration.
Does the Implant Have Side Effects?
Implants have no side effects. It does not cause any negative effects on the body, except for the pain experienced during and after the procedure.
There are no known cases of this. It is not possible for the implant to be rejected or fall out by the body. However, a certain period of time is required to get used to the material placed in the bone through surgical intervention.
Implant treatment takes 1-2.5 hours on average . Most of the time, a second procedure is not needed after the operation. The doctor may call the patient for a check-up after a week or so.
Can Dental Implants Be Done in One Day?
The condition of the bone is very important after teeth are extracted. If the bone can remain tight enough when the implant is screwed, temporary teeth can be inserted in one day. They can use these teeth during recovery without ever taking them out of their mouth. In other words, our patient is never left toothless.
He gets fixed teeth with implants in one day . If the bone does not provide sufficient resistance, then we make a temporary removable prosthesis for our patient . He can use it in his normal life to remove it at night, like a removable prosthesis with a removable prosthesis.
Can Implants Be Made Without Using Bone Meal?
When the patient’s bone structure is examined by tomography, if there is sufficient thickness and height, there is no need to apply bone powder. In this case, a standard dental implant application is performed. If a tooth has been extracted before and the bone tissue around it has thinned and lost its height, standard implant application cannot be done in a single session and bone powder application is required. These bone powder applications can be made with several different techniques.
Since there is a lot of bone loss in the areas we call the sinus area, we perform the procedure called Sinus Lifting . While implants can be applied in the same session with bone powder, dental implants can be made 5-6 months after bone powder application . In other words, implants can be made without applying bone powder . However, for this, the patient must have sufficient bone tissue.
Is Implant Treatment a Painful Procedure?
Many people in our society have a phobia of the dentist’s chair. In fact, the main factor in the formation of this phobia is whether our patients will feel pain during the treatment in the dentist’s chair.
Therefore, one of the questions we frequently receive is whether pain will occur during implant applications . First of all, dental implant applications are not very large operations as feared. It takes approximately 10-15 minutes to apply one dental implant.
Since we apply local anesthesia to our patients before the procedure, the area is completely numb. The procedure is completed very easily and without pain.
Will I Remain Toothless Until An Implant Is Made?
One of the most important issues that patients care about during the treatment is how long they will remain toothless after the implant operation until permanent teeth are made. As is known, after the implant operation, the implant is expected to fuse with the bone for at least 3 months . We call the prostheses we make for our patients during this period temporary prostheses. Temporary prostheses can be made in two different ways, depending on the bone condition and the application technique of the implants.
One of them is fixed prostheses that patients cannot remove themselves. The other one is the prosthesis that our mobile patients can put on and take off daily.
After this 3-month healing period, permanent prostheses are made, either fixed or mobile, depending on the implant technique. With all this information, our patients are not left toothless at any stage during the implant treatment process. They can survive with permanent or temporary prostheses.
What Should We Do If Our Implant Falls Out?
If you think your implant has fallen out, you should first contact your dentist. Because it is very unlikely that an implant that is fully fused to the bones will come out of the bone and come out of the mouth. However, the spacer parts that we glue or screw onto the implant are more likely to come off. First of all, we recommend that our patients consult a dentist to find out which part is removed, without panicking or stressing.
It is very unlikely that an implant that is completely fused with the bone will come out of the bone, but it is a common situation. In such a situation, the patient’s x-rays and tomograms are examined again. If there is sufficient bone tissue at the end of these examinations, the implant operation is repeated. However, if there is not enough bone tissue, bone powder is used and the implant procedure is renewed.
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