What is a dental implant?
It is a prefabricated root. Implants are made of Titanium.
They are shaped like a root and are inserted where a tooth is missing.
What are the advantages of implants?
You thereby avoid wearing a removable prosthesis and neither is it necessary to shape the neighbouring teeth (bridges).
What are the disadvantages of dental implants?
Basically, and compared with other therapeutic alternatives, dental implants do not really present any disadvantages. It should be pointed out that, as a general rule, it is a treatment that requires a few months for its completion.
What is the full process?
Dental implant treatment has two phases: the first is the insertion of the implant itself and the next phase consists of making the tooth..
In some cases the implant and the tooth can be placed into position during the same session.
How many consultations are required to insert an implant?
The dental implants are inserted during one sole consultation.
The time it takes to insert the implant is normally around 30 minutes, including the whole process.
One week later the stitches are removed and the implant checked..
How many consultations are required to fix the tooth to the implant?
If it is just one tooth, three 20 minute consultations should suffice.
In some cases, with the modern techniques and protocols we use, the implants and the teeth can both be inserted within one sole session.
In other circumstances we can even insert the implants without making linear incisions in the mucous membrane, and in these cases it will not be necessary to use stitches.
Does it hurt?
Dental implants do not hurt.
The days subsequent to the insertion of the implant there may be discomfort around the gum scar, but with the use of common analgesics, there is no pain.
What complications may arise with implants?
Dental implants present the same complications as any other buccal surgery, none other than that.
How is a dental implant inserted?
The implants are inserted in a specially prepared room.
Only local anaesthesia is required, similar to that used during root canal treatment.
A sterile environment is created to prevent infections.
How long do dental implants last?
In principle, it is a treatment for life. Obviously, however, the same as with natural teeth, dental implants need to be looked after and must be checked regularly.
From our current experience we can safely say that dental implants are a very reliable treatment.
Are there ever any failures?
In a small percentage, there is no osseointegration and it is necessary to remove the dental implant
In these cases, we wait 2 months for the bone to regenerate and then a new implant may be inserted.
What type of implant do you recommend?
We recommend Titanium dental implants with surface treatment. In our consulting rooms we insert the 3i Osseotite implants.
According to statistics, they are the ones that obtain the best results.
How long does the whole process take?
The total time it takes to insert the dental implants may vary. In some cases it can be done immediately. In other words, the same day that the dental implant is inserted, the patient leaves with both implant and tooth.
What is more usual is for it to take between 3 and 6 months.
Can everyone have an implant?
There are some health conditions that prevent the insertion of dental implants; this is why it is so important to take down a full medical history prior to treatment.
The most frequent reason for not inserting a dental implant is that there is not enough bone to implant. It is for this reason that prior to inserting an implant a panoramic x-ray or scan is taken for the purposes of osseous evaluation.
The panoramic x-rays are taken here in our clinic with digital technology.
In addition, nowadays, we have new techniques that enable us to increment the amount of bone.
Are there new techniques that improve the possibilities of inserting dental implants?
Currently there are various techniques that we apply in order to improve the insertion of implants. In our consulting rooms we use so-called osseous regeneration with growth factors, elevation of the maxillary sinus, grafts and membranes.
We present the most innovative of techniques in our consulting rooms, the computer-assisted insertion of implants, without the necessity for surgical incisions.
What is osseous regeneration with growth factors?
It basically consists of obtaining proteins from the platelets of the patient him/herself which placed in the indicated spot stimulate the growth of the immature cells into bone-producing cells.
What does the maxillary sinus elevation technique consist of?
It consists in obtaining greater osseous height in order to insert dental implants of greater length..