Dental implant surgery is a procedure where metal, screwlike posts substitute as teeth’ roots so that artificial teeth will be mounted on the gapped areas left by the missing teeth. Dental implants are an excellent alternative to dentures and to bridgeworks that do not fit well. They can also be a better option if the lack of teeth’ roots does not allow for denture-building or tooth replacements.
The type of implant and your jawbone condition are the factors to consider on how dental implant surgery is done. The procedure allows the bone to heal firmly around the implant and gives your new teeth stable protection. Understandably, bone healing requires time. Thus, the procedure can take many months.
Early models of dental implants were used during the civilization of ancient China in 2000 BC. Sculpted bamboo pegs were initially used at this period to replace the missing teeth.
The first documented case of a metal tooth replacement is from the body of an Egyptian king who lived around 1000 BC. He has a copper peg drilled into his upper jawbone. However, scientists cannot be sure whether the tooth replacement was used during or after his life on Earth.
Dental implants are known in today’s world as the most innovative option for tooth restoration. Technology has helped dental and oral health clinicians provide their patients with quicker, more precise, and holistic care. People have pursued care to repair teeth using several approaches until modern dental implants in 1952. Researchers have developed implant design and functionality through decades of experimental study and clinical practice. The history of civilization tells us that people have attempted to substitute teeth for practical and aesthetic purposes.
Someone with excellent overall oral health makes the ideal candidate for a dental implant. To support the implant, you should have ample bone in your jaw, and your gum tissues should be free of periodontal diseases.
Dental implants are closely connected to the gum tissues and underlying bone in the mouth. A dentist with dental implant training is an essential member of your dental implant team because they specialize in these fields. They are highly experienced in working with other dental practitioners, plus they have the unique skills, training, and equipment needed to have your new teeth look and sound as if they are naturally yours. In 5Corner Dental, Dr. Moshtaghi (Dr.Mo), who has a high level of surgical expertise and experience, does the surgical part, and Dr. Hakimi is responsible for the prosthetic part of your implant.
Behave Like Natural Teeth
One of the implant’s most significant benefits is that it preserves your maximum chewing capacity. Many patients are unable to distinguish between their natural teeth and the tooth implant. They can happily eat normally with it. They can even brush and floss them like they would their natural teeth!
Last a Lifetime
Although a dental bridge can last just around ten years or so, dental implants can last forever. The implant is made of titanium – a biocompatible, non-toxic material that allows the jawbone to integrate with it and not be rejected by the body, making it an efficient tooth replacement.
Prevent Bone Loss
Toothlessness leads the jaw bone in the empty space to deteriorate due to lack of stimulation. If no implant is inserted in the first year of tooth loss, the bone region loses 25 percent of its thickness, and over the years, bone loss continues.
Dentures can exacerbate bone loss as dentures often become loose or press against the bony surface and gradually wear it away. The implant replaces the tooth and the roots, thus preserving standard chewing capability and continuously providing the needed stimulation for natural bone growth.
Restores Bite Force
Dental implants with Titanium-made posts bolted into your jaw enable you to bite with almost the same amount of force you could with your natural teeth. Other tooth replacement treatments do not restore your natural bite force as much as dental implants do because they mostly just sit on top of the gum line instead of being bolted securely in place.
Easy to Care for
You do not need to buy any special products such as cups, cleansing tablets, adhesives, and special flossers to clean or care for your dental implants. You simply just have to brush and floss the same way you would your natural teeth. You do not have to experience the awkward, inconvenient, and sometimes embarrassing need to remove them or keep the adhesive securely in place just like you would with dentures.
Permanent Solution to Tooth Loss
Unlike other tooth replacement treatments where you periodically need to have your teeth repaired or replaced, dental implants are curated forever. That is why, if you need a tooth replacement, consider a dental implant as your first option.
Improved Oral Health
Unlike tooth-supported bridges, dental implants do not need other teeth reduced. More of your original teeth remain intact since the teeth near the treated area are not modified to support the implant, thus, enhancing long-term oral health. Individual implants make teeth easily accessible, hence, improving oral hygiene.
Prevent Facial Sagging And Premature Aging
Missing teeth could lead to bone loss, which subsequently causes unwanted facial sagging. This is where the lower third of the face starts to collapse and slowly closes the distance between the nose tip and the chin. This can also induce excess mouth wrinkles, lip thinning, and pointed chin, making you look older than your age.
Dental implant treatment is an outpatient surgery done in stages, allocating time for healing in between procedures. The treatment involves various steps that take months to fully complete. Much of the entire procedure is concentrated on recovery and waiting for the new jaw bone growth.
Step 1: When Bone Grafting Is Required
If your jaw bone is too thin or too soft, you may need to undergo grafting before undergoing the dental implant treatment. Powerful mouth chewing puts a lot of pressure on your bone. If the bone cannot support the implant, the treatment would fail most likely. With a bone graft, you can have a stronger base for the implant.
It may take several months before the transplanted bone grows enough new bone to support a dental implant. In some cases, some patients only need minor bone grafting and may be done simultaneously with implant surgery.
Step 2: Placing The Dental Implant
During the procedure, your oral surgeon cuts your gum open and exposes the bone. Holes are then drilled into the bone to anchor the dental implant metal post. It will be implanted deep into the bone because the post serves as the tooth’s root. You will still have a gap at this phase, so a partial denture will be placed while waiting for the permanent one to be produced. Meanwhile, you can remove it when cleaning your mouth and before you sleep.
Step 3: Waiting For Bone Growth
Osseointegration commences once the metal post is anchored into your jawbone. This is where the jawbone grows and unites, which helps provide your new artificial tooth with a sturdy base the same way natural teeth’ roots do.
Step 4: Placing The Abutment And Choosing Your New Artificial Teeth
As soon as osseointegration is completed, an additional minor surgery (with local anesthesia in an outpatient appointment) will be needed to place the abutment, a piece on which the crown will be mounted.
Sometimes, the abutment is attached along with the metal post. In such a case, you will not need additional surgery. The abutment is placed just above the gum line, making it visible when you open your mouth and stay that way until your dentist can complete the entire prosthetic procedure. We are aware that some people do not like having their abutment visible and prefer to have it mounted in another procedure.
After having the abutment mounted, your gum will need two weeks to heal before having the artificial tooth attached to it. Once your gums heal, more mouth impressions will be taken and used as a basis for making your crown. Remember that the crown can only be placed when your jawbone is finally sturdy enough to support the new tooth.
Step 5: After The Procedure
Regardless of dental implant surgery in one stage or various stages, you may inevitably experience a certain level of discomfort with any type of dental surgery. In that case, you will be prescribed pain medication and antibiotics after the surgery. Take note that if swelling, discomfort, or any other problems worsen post-operation, consult your oral surgeon immediately.
Your surgeon will typically use stitches that dissolve on their own. Sometimes, if it is not self-dissolving, they may need to remove them after a while. Either way, you need to opt for soft food while waiting for the treated area to heal fully.
A Team Of Top Professionals
Dr. Mehrzad Hakimi has developed a team of dentists over the years to provide specialized and expert care for restorative or cosmetic problems. He sets the course of treatment and oversees the treatment from start to finish. Right here in our cozy office, we provide you with any special care you need so that multiple treatments can be efficiently done at the same time, reducing your time in the chair substantially.
Experience You Can Trust
Dr. Merzhad Hakimi runs our modern dental technology laboratory with creative artistry to manufacture life-like, well-fitting, and practical restorations. He coordinates the dental office and the dental laboratory and focuses on laboratory-related procedures such as teeth restoration and dental implants. On the other hand, Dr. Ivy Hsu is another accomplished general dentist specializing in dental laboratory techniques, ensuring smooth coordination between our doctors and our laboratory to guarantee tooth restoration with the highest quality.
Customizing Your Restoration
Our lab technicians work closely with our doctors ensuring to follow the doctor’s exact instructions. Having a laboratory in the same dental office premises means that patients can also directly communicate with the lab technicians regarding their new teeth’ desired color, shade, and shape. Because of the laboratory’s proximity to the dental office, any adjustments can also be made easily and quickly.
Dental implants are cylinders made of titanium surgically anchored into the jawbone where the teeth are missing. After the dentist places it into your jawbone, replacement teeth or crowns will be mounted onto them, and they will look and feel as though they are your natural teeth.
Understandably, having missing teeth can make you feel self-conscious, especially when talking, smiling, and eating. Not to mention, they also lead to more and worse dental health problems. Dental implants are a perfect means to improve not only your confidence but your overall oral health. Contact us, and Dr. Merzhad Hakimi and the team will be happy to give you the crown that you truly deserve!To schedule an appointment, visit www.5cornerdental.com or call 604 547 4000. What are you waiting for? Go grab your crown, queen!
Considering their sturdiness, aesthetics, life span, and practicality, dental implants are the best among teeth replacement treatment options.
A dental implant is a surgical procedure. Each person has different pain tolerance. Therefore, one person’s perception of pain might only be a slight discomfort for another person. However, the consensus is that most people attest to the discomfort, but not necessarily of the pain.
Ensuring regular teeth brushing and flossing and regular dental visits twice a year guarantees the implant screw to last forever! However, the crown usually lasts about 10 to 15 years before needing it replaced.
You can opt to be put to sleep. Since a dental implant is a surgical procedure, you will need anesthesia or sedation through oral or IV. Some people prefer to stay awake throughout the procedure. However, many choose to be knocked out so that they will not have any recollection of the procedure and therefore get comfortable during and after the procedure.
Yes, dental implants can be done – well – in one day.
Depending on the situation, sometimes, your dentist will perform ‘gum contouring’ around the implant so that the future gums around the implant crown become bigger and are shaped similarly to the gums surrounding your natural teeth, thus efficiently optimizing the implant’s aesthetics.
The discomfort will usually peak within the third or fifth day after the surgery before subsiding quickly afterward. There should only be little to no discomfort one week after your surgery.
The feeling does not come from the implant itself. It comes from the nearby gum tissue, which means that the implant does not one hundred percent feel like your natural tooth, which is not bad at all, considering all the benefits it brings to your appearance and oral health.
The implants can break if they receive too much pressure before they have even fully osseointegrated. The other parts of your new tooth can also chip, and wear and tear can break the abutment.
Dental implants can never get cavities. However, plaque buildup can still occur between it and your natural tooth. In that case, your natural tooth can eventually get cavities. Proper dental hygiene is key to a long-lasting dental implant and healthier overall oral health.