Are dental implants permanent?

Choose the dental implants you've always dreamed of from City Dental Clinic

Our oral cavity is an area of utmost care. Besides having a great visual shock when meeting new people or socializing, it is an area that must be treated delicately because a health problem derived from there, can be catastrophic for other areas of our body, not to mention how painful it can be.

An example of this is that if we have an open wound in a gum and it becomes infected, this can affect other areas of our body, for example: It will make our temperature drop and our head start to hurt. Also, if a single tooth is affected, it can create a chain reaction that causes all teeth to fail or feel the same pain. Therefore, it is a serious problem that must be treated immediately, especially when a tooth is lost and an implant is needed.

Although, we have to consider that before getting a dental implant it is of utmost importance that you do not close your mind to different possibilities and only go by the price. The important thing at this moment is that you get enough information to know what you need, how it works, what happens at the moment of placing it and consider the opinion of your dentist about everything you are going to do, since he is the professional.

Before going to the dentist, we will give you a basic understanding of what dental implants are, how long they last and why they are so important in our oral health.

What is a dental implant?

If you go to the dentist, he or she will probably have this answer for you, accompanied by an image alluding to the subject. Or, if you decide to search the internet, you will notice that dental implants are similar to screws that are placed in the maxillofacial bone of our oral cavity, this will help to fix the new tooth and that there are no inconveniences of use, obviously, these are placed when there was a previous problem with a dental piece and there was no other option but to remove it, such as a blow or a periodontal disease.

Dental implants are not suitable for everyone.

Although they are a great solution to the problem of missing teeth, not everyone can get one. The only requirement for dental implants is not only not having a tooth, but you have to consider why you are missing a tooth, how the bone condition is, how your other teeth are positioned and if there is any risk of it being a failed operation. That is why it is important to go to a certified dentist who will do a proper evaluation of your mouth and guide you through all the options that are on the market in terms of artificial implants.

The most common examination that orthodontists perform to give you an answer about your request for a dental implant is to see if the maxillofacial bone has enough space to support the “screw” mentioned above. In case it cannot, there may be lighter options of dental implants that can agree with your oral cavity without endangering the other dental pieces.

How long do dental implants last?

We’ve arrived at our golden question! And we are happy to answer it, keep reading!
Each dental implant can have a lifespan of approximately 16 to 26 years in our mouth. But, this is not a general law. The number of years that these devices can last in our mouth depends largely on several factors. For example, the material, the care and the intention of the implant.

A permanent implant serves its stay until the jawbone is no longer there, in other words, it can be lifelong. These are usually made of titanium, which is a harder material and is perfect for the osseointegration process, and will only need constant check-ups every two years and good dental hygiene to keep it in good condition.

Yes, we can give you a miracle cure to make your dental implants last for years, and it is called Dental Hygiene. Dental hygiene is the basis for the longevity of any appliance that is placed in your mouth, if it is not carried out as it should be, you are just wasting your money. Bacteria will nest in different areas of the dental implant and you could develop another disease that will also cause you to lose other teeth.

And even develop implant disease, called mucositis, which is when the soft tissues become inflamed and painful, and beware, that’s not all. Since, like gingivitis, it can worsen and cause the maxillofacial bone to lose mass, which will cause the implant to loosen and you will also end up losing it as happened with your tooth.

Although we can also consider other factors that no longer have to do with us, such as external diseases like diabetes or cancer. And other more preventable ones, such as the constant use of cigarettes or alcohol. In addition, in order to increase their useful life we will need not to force them to too strong stimuli in the first year of application.

One of the implants that are not long term and that could also work for you, are dental crowns. They have a maximum duration of 15 years and are applied to teeth that have lost volume or are broken.

Although it is an alternative, it works just as well as a permanent one and its functionality will depend on the material you choose to place: Remember that your health is not based on only placing the cheapest, sometimes we need to invest in more expensive treatments to acquire the best quality in the market.

How is the placement of a dental implant.

Despite being a simple treatment, it has its science and techniques to follow. Below, we explain the dental stages that we have to go through in order to place an implant correctly:

Stage I:

This stage is the dental consultation where your use of dental implants is confirmed. At this time we will have to perform a study of the patient’s mouth to rule out periodontal diseases and the state of the maxillofacial bone to consider whether it is compatible with the type of implant or not.
Most likely there will be a need to take some x-rays of the dental area in order to plan the operation based on them, they may also ask for 3D images to get a better idea of what is happening in your mouth and to be able to explain in even more detail.
After a few days, the dentist will call you and specify what needs to be done and when it will be done. This waiting time serves to be able to plan the surgery well and to be able to consult with the other specialists who will assist in the placement.

Stage II:

This is when you can proceed to intervene the maxillofacial bone to carry out the implant. General anesthesia is used and the procedure is based on making a sufficiently large incision to expose the maxillofacial bone. After this, and depending on what the patient needs, they will proceed to make one or more holes in the surface of the bone so that the screw can pass more easily.
When this process is finished, the incision is sewn quickly and securely to prevent it from opening up and causing unwanted infections that can damage the development of the implant.

Stage III:

After week number one of treatment has passed, the suture left in the gum should have mostly healed, so it is likely that the stitches will be removed at the dentist.
And that is when the osseointegration process begins, where we must wait a few months before we can use our jaw normally. This development is planned so that the bone fuses with the screw and accidents can be avoided because the operation is still fresh.

Stage IV:

Here the osseointegration stage ends after about 3 months of development. The dentist will need to place another appliance inside our oral cavity, called an abutment. It is totally important to complete this stage, in fact we can consider it as a determinant of the success of the operation.

We know what you are thinking, and yes! We will need to enter the operating room again to perform this treatment. Again we will open the wound that was already sutured, and we will expose the implant to place the abutment correctly.

Stage V:

After a few weeks with the abutment inside the implant, we will now proceed to place the definitive artificial prosthesis that will conclude the operations. For this, the dentist will need to take many impressions of the patient’s oral cavity to send them to a laboratory that will be in charge of designing different dental crowns to scale, which simulate the missing tooth in our dental row both in color and in its structure and texture, so it will not clash with the rest.
It should be noted that even if your dental implant is removable, you have to go through this process of adaptation and impression of your mouth so that they can proceed correctly in terms of your particular case.

The right way to clean dental implants

We already know that it is essential to keep our oral cavity clean while using implants, but do you know the correct way to brush them? Don’t worry, we will explain a little more about how to do it. Read on!
There is a higher possibility that people who have dental implants store a greater amount of food debris between the teeth, especially people who have dental crowns. This is due to the loss of the main tooth, since the gum can contract its soft tissues and therefore there is a small gap between the dental crown and the gum tissue.
Therefore, it is not just a whim that dental hygiene is meticulous in these cases. Since it is necessary so that there are no inconveniences in the future with possible diseases.
As we have a new prosthesis in our mouth and it is different from what we are used to using, we will need to do it in a specific way and with products designed for these people. Read on and we will introduce them to you:

Interproximal brushes.

These special brushes, also called interdental brushes, have a smaller size than the normal brushes we have been using all our lives. It is an important aid for people who have implants as it allows them to enter narrower areas of our mouth without having problems thanks to its cylinder-shaped head.

Dental irrigator.

Another necessary ingredient to complete the dental hygiene of our implant, is the dental irrigator, maybe you have already used it at the orthodontist, it consists of a jet of pressurized water that is in charge of washing the corners of the mouth.
Although it may seem useless, if you know how to use it, it is really effective for our implant since it eliminates food residues from the periodontal pockets and it also cleans the bottom of the mouth, eliminating bacteria completely.
It has a pressure regulator to suit your mouth, and there are a lot of brands on the market, so you have several options to choose one that suits your economy and your needs.

Frequently asked questions about dental implants

Although we have explained this topic well, it is always important and it will always be a pleasure to answer the doubts of our customers, therefore we will enable a small space in our article today to answer:

What is needed before starting treatment?

The first thing would be to go to a dental consultation with your trusted specialist, then come the tests before the procedure. As we mentioned before, they are fundamental to know the state of your bone. These can be either x-rays or 3D images or another type of procedure.
In addition to this, an occlusion test should be done to know the quality of the patient’s bite and how your maxillofacial bone is in terms of strength, which will be quite important in dental recovery.

What happens if something goes wrong in the examinations?

In the event that the dentist finds an infection or other type of disease in the gums or jaw, you should proceed differently. For example, if there is too much tartar that could harm the treatment, a thorough cleaning should be done. In case of an infected wound, antibiotics are prescribed, or in case of periodontitis or gingivitis, the indicated treatment is done first and then dental implantation is performed.
For nothing in the world can proceed with an operation of such magnitude with a diseased gum, since we could run the risk that the maxillary bone has decreased its mass, therefore it would not support the implant and other types of inconveniences that could affect the patient’s health could be added.

If I cannot have the implant, what happens?

There are a thousand and one treatments that can be applied to different types of people and cases. For example, in the case of not being able to place a dental implant, a bridge can easily be applied. Although it is not as excellent as the dental implant, it fulfills its function in a neat way.

Is there only one type of implant?

Totally false. And besides this, it is important to remember that not all types are of the same quality, so it is important to ask our dentist for complete information in order to choose the one that best suits our economy and the amount of quality we need. Obviously the more you invest, the better.
Do not rely on offers or promotions, these types of things are usually of poor quality and very cheap materials that will not contribute anything to your dental health.

Will it affect my facial aesthetics?

Not at all! Implants are invisible. In fact, the prosthetic teeth that are designed to be placed in the area are as similar as possible to the general teeth in our mouth. All this so that they do not clash and you can feel confident about your smile!

Do implants look like natural teeth?

Although they look very similar to natural teeth, the texture is not the same and feels different as you get used to them. Remember that it is an artificial piece that will go in your mouth and although it can serve as a tooth, it will never be 100% natural. However, it should not bother you or cause any kind of pain because if not, there is an implantation problem.
So much for today! We hope the information we have provided here has been very useful. If you are missing a tooth and need to recover it at all costs, remember that we offer our services in Tirana, Albania. Our doors will always be open for you!

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