Implants
An implant is a fixed prosthesis that replaces missing teeth by placing an artificial root and a crown to replace missing teeth. The implant fixture can be restored with either a crown, bridge or a removable appliance. Implants are surgically placed in the bone to replace a lost tooth root. They are very long lasting restorations and can restore lost teeth in a way that before had to be restored by removable appliances.
Unlike a removable partial denture, an implant is fixed in bone and is not removed. An implant supported bridge can be used to replace two or three missing teeth. The false tooth part of a bridge is called a pontic. The parts of the bridge that allow attachment to adjacent teeth are called abutments.
Alternative Treatment
Missing teeth may also be replaced through use of a removable partial denture or in some cases fixed bridgework.
Life Span
We do not know exactly how long implants will last. There is a very high success rate (over 90%) and in our practice we have not seen many failures of the newer generation implants, so we just don’t know how long we can expect them to last. They seem to last for a long time.
Advantages
Because the natural teeth on either side of the space do not have to be ground down, the implant is a more conservative restoration. In some circumstances, however, a bridge is still a good option especially when the teeth on either side of the missing space already have crowns or need them for proper restoration of teeth. When there are no teeth on the other side of the missing tooth, the only treatment options are to place an implant supported restoration or a removable partial denture.
Disadvantages
The implant is not covered by many insurance plans and a bridge may be the most cost effective restoration. Jaw shape, the presence of sinuses, heavy smoking and a few other factors would preclude the prudent placement of dental implants. Another disadvantage is there is a wait from the time of implant placement to the time of restoration. It is often advantageous to not place a temporary restoration attached to the implant to allow for optimal healing (called osseointegration) of the implant. There is an emerging trend to place an immediate (temporary) crown in highly esthetic regions, but the availability of this procedure for a particular case needs to be discussed with the surgeon, and a removable temporary appliance may be indicated for special needs.
Care of Implant
The care of an implant is the same as for any other tooth with the addition of taking care to not scratch the soft titanium of the implant with metal objects.
What an implant Looks Like
Most implants look just like natural teeth. Sometimes the root emergence profile may be a little narrow but in most cases this is in the far back where it remains unseen. Modern ceramic prosthetic techniques allow very natural looking tooth replacement, even for front teeth. We have photographs of front teeth replaced by implants that are very hard to differentiate from natural teeth.
