Dental Implant Treatment

What is a Dental Implant Treatment?

The loss of teeth can cause a “disability” for most people who wear conventional dentures because they have difficulty eating and speaking due to the deterioration of their underlying bone structures. This loss of bone results in poor or ill-fitting dentures because the dentures no longer have a stable foundation on which to rest.

The pictures below show loss of bone over time.

A dental implant is a small titanium fixture that serves as the replacement for the root portion of a missing natural tooth. The implant is placed in the upper or lower jaw. It will bond with the bone over time and thus serve as an anchor for the replacement teeth.

Before dental implants, there were no fixed solutions available for people who lost all their teeth. Today, it is possible to replace a full jaw with dental implants and a fixed bridge that results in a permanent, stable and high esthetic solution.

The benefits of having a fully fixed bridge are:

1. Lets you eat and function like having natural teeth;

2. Preserves your facial appearance and prevents bone loss

3. A solid, stable, esthetic solution

Fixed Bridges Procedure 

1. Before the procedure

The denturist determines what needs to be done and prepares both himself and the patient for the coming treatment procedure. Patient is then referred to an appropriate professional for implant placement.  

2. Installing the implants

The first step is installing dental implants to replace the lost tooth roots. In this case, five implants are used. Temporary teeth are attached that enable you to eat and function like normal while waiting for the permanent bridge to be installed.  

3. Attaching bridge

The final bridge is securely installed on top of the implants. With a full jaw replacement like this, it normally takes 2-3 visits to have the bridge completely attached.  

4. End result

Your new teeth should be hard to tell from natural – both for you and others. People who have had traditional dentures before getting a fixed bridge often describe this as an overwhelming and very positive experience.

Over Denture (Ball and Bar) 

Alternative to a fixed bridge

An alternative to a fixed bridge is a removable overdenture, which is anchored on implants.

Removable, implant anchored overdenture

A removable full denture that is connected to either a ball or bar attachment, which in turn is anchored on two or more implants in the front part of the jaw. The implants help keep the denture in place and provide better function and comfort.

 

Mini Implants 

As a revolutionary departure from routine implant methods, mini implants are so narrow they are typically inserted directly through the overlying gum tissue and into the bone underneath. Consequently the need to surgically cut and “flap” open the gum tissue, routinely required for standard dental implant systems, is avoided in most MDI applications. As a result, post- insertion patient irritation and soreness is significantly reduced.

While all dental implants require care during insertion to avoid encroaching on vulnerable nerves, sinuses or bony structures, the ultra small width of the IMTEC mini implants offers comfortable margin of safety.

         

Soft Liners

Soft Denture Liners

Patients who constantly suffer with discomfort from their dentures may benefit from a soft liner. These individuals may have a low threshold for pain, and/or the gum tissue that overlays jaw bone is usually thinner than normal and does not resist pressure well. When such tissue is compressed between hard jaw bone and hard denture plastic, pain is easily elicited. Replacing one of these hard interfaces with a soft denture liner helps eliminate or reduce this painful tissue compression.

Advantages of Soft Liners.

• A gentle and kinder denture interface for those individuals with sensitive underlying tissues.

• The soft denture liner tends to compress and conform to a constantly changing jaw bone surface. While this helps prevent pain from a moderately unbalanced bite resulting from jaw bone shrinkage, it is not a long-term substitute for regular adjustments to balance a denture bite.

Partial Dentures

What are Partial Dentures?

Through out the course of life, natural teeth are lost for many reasons, including gum disease, tooth decay, and accidents.

Having missing teeth can pose severe consequences including:

• Loss of chewing efficiency

• Uneven wear on remaining teeth

• Tipping, migration, and over eruption of teeth adjacent
   to the empty space

• Loss of bone structure in the jaw

• Speech difficulty

Metal Partial Dentures

Advantages of Metal Partial Dentures.

The metal/acrylic partial—commonly called a cast partial - is usually a more comfortable style of denture, due to its lightweight and precision fitting frame.

The metal is either a highly compatible chrome cobalt alloy or titanium, which are both ultra thin, light and very strong.

Disadvantages of Metal Partial Dentures.

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Partial Dentures with Tooth Coloured Clasps

Advantages of Partial Dentures with Tooth Coloured Clasps.

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Disadvantages of Partial Dentures with Tooth Coloured Clasps.

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Flexible Partial Dentures

Advantages of Flexible Partial Dentures.

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Disadvantages of Flexible Partial Dentures.

The most recent advance in dental materials has been the application of nylon-like materials to the fabrication of dental appliances. This material (the most common name brand is ValPlast) generally replaces the metal, and the pink acrylic denture material used to build the framework for standard removable partial dentures. ValPlast is similar to the material used to build those fluorescent orange traffic cones you sometimes see on highways. It is nearly unbreakable, is colored pink like the gums, can be built quite thin, and can form not only the denture base, but the clasps as well. Since the clasps are built to curl around the necks of the teeth, they are practically indistinguishable from the gums that normally surround the teeth.