prosthodontic.com implant dentistry

implant dentistry Yvonne and Emma in surgery

Dental mplants have been in use for over 30 years. Published success rates are consistently over 90% with proper personal and professional care. They can be thought of as an artificial root onto which teeth or prosthetic connectors can be placed. If they are successful they offer a permanent and secure solution for replacing one or more teeth. They are made of biocompatible materials, just the same as hip implants or similar orthopaedic devices, and function as anchors or support for traditional forms of dentistry, such as crowns, bridges or dentures.

		Lucy had braces to move her canine tooth over into its normal position, creating room for an implant which replaced the tooth she was born without. The tooth opposite was crowned.

Implants have not only changed the smile for lots of patients but also have changed their quality of life:

Aesthetically, they support teeth that look and act like real teeth.
With implants, patients can eat and chew again without pain or irritation.
They eliminate the need for distasteful adhesives.
Implants can improve a denture wearer’s enjoyment of food. With less plastic covering the roof of the mouth, the palate is free to feel and sense the food.
Implants can also help maintain bone structure and support facial tissues by reducing bone atrophy, which causes shrinkage or facial cosmetic changes.

See what Sharyn wrote about her implants.

implants in use in our practice

There are many different implant brands on the market today. They vary considerably in the number of long term studies that support their use. The ones we have chosen to use in our practice are those from Nobel Biocare, Biomet-3i, ITI-Straumann and AstraTech, purely for the amount of research behind them and their documented reliability and success rates. Because prosthodontists work with a variety of oral and maxillofacial surgeons, periodontists and general dentists, we also have quite wide experience with other implant types and, when we have to, can usually access components, even from overseas suppliers.

care of dental implants

Dental implants need the same conscientious care that natural teeth need (regular tooth brushing, use of a mouthrinse and flossing) to maintain a healthy gum seal. Access around them can sometimes be difficult, especially for the elderly, and water picks are useful in these circumstances. Studies have shown that even patients receiving long term nursing care, who are less capable of achieving good oral health than others, can have minimal complications with implant supported dentures and bridges. A word of warning though, the titanium surface of an implant is not highly polished ( to enable integration with the surrounding tissue) and this can cause problems if patients use non shred resistant floss. The small fibrils can easily “ball up” on the implant surface and bring about a foreign body type reaction. Always ensure only teflon shred resistant floss around an implant. A dental professional can explain this, show patients how to properly care for their implants and provide regular maintenance appointments.

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