Tooth implant – types, indications, advantages, complications. How does the implant placement work?

A tooth implant is an artificial root that is implanted in the jaw if you lose your own tooth along with the root (after tooth extraction). A tooth implant is made of titanium and is the size of a natural root. A crown is attached to it, i.e. an artificial tooth, usually made of porcelain, zircon or acrylic. The number of implants does not have to correspond to the number of teeth (crowns) placed on them. In some cases, several crowns are attached to one implant, or the entire prosthesis can be attached to it.

Dental implants – history

Dental implants are not an invention of modern dentistry. They were already established in ancient Rome and in the areas inhabited by the Maya. Interestingly, in one of the graves from 4500 years ago, a human jaw was found, in which, instead of the upper teeth, there were animal teeth. In ancient Egypt, ivory or wood implants were also used.

In Europe, dental implants appeared in the 27th century and then they were the teeth of healthy people, which were collected for a fee. In the second half of the nineteenth century, an implant made of porcelain was placed in an artificial socket. The procedure was successful and the implant itself survived for XNUMX years in the patient’s mouth. A breakthrough event, however, was the discovery of the titanium mandrel at the end of the XNUMXth century, which, unlike the previously used materials, turned out to be much more durable and better integrated with the skeleton.

Another breakthrough in the field of implantology was the development of Ingmar Branemark screw implants. Branemark implants have set a new standard and are a well-documented implant system. The next generations of implants were models with modified surfaces and hybrid implants preventing the development of peri implantis. The development of technology has enabled the creation of personalized implants as well as the cultivation of teeth.

How is a dental implant built?

The components of a dental implant are: the shaft placed in the bone, the superstructure element used to attach the tooth crown to the implant shaft and the crown or the mechanism supporting the prosthesis. There are two systems of dental implants – one-piece and two-piece. A tooth implant is an element that replaces the tooth root. It is placed in the bone, which grows with it after some time. There is a crown, bridge or complete denture on the implant.

Dental implants are made primarily of high-purity titanium. This is due to the good biocompatibility of the material, which connects to the bone without any problems. As a result, it does not cause allergic reactions or reactions to a foreign body. In dentistry, screw or cylindrical implants are mainly used. The empty space in the mandible or maxillary bone is made with the help of drills so that the implant reception is smooth.

What are the types of dental implants?

There are over a dozen types of dental implants. The division criteria are, inter alia, the material or shape of the implants.

Types of implants depending on the material

1. Metal implants – are commonly used in medicine. These models are made of titanium or titanium bonded with other materials. They are appreciated for their excellent mechanical properties, but they can corrode and thus hinder the treatment process. Occasionally, bacterial infections appear after their placement at the site of implantation.
2. Zirconium implants – these are dental implants based on zirconium oxide. The properties of the material make the implant made of it confusingly resemble a natural tooth. Moreover, they also react to sunlight in the same way as natural teeth. Zirconium implants are resistant to abrasion and acidic environment.

Types of implants by shape

1. Screw implants – this model of dental implants perfectly anchors in the bone tissue. For this reason, they are one of the most popular models, as they are easy to apply to bones of various degrees of hardness. They are placed in the drilled hole or tightened to the bone with a special key.
2. Zygomatic implants – unlike traditional dental implants, they are longer. They are used by people who cannot have traditional dental implants due to bone loss. Surgical procedures for placing zygomatic dental implants are shorter and not as expensive as for other types of implants. 

Types of implants due to the tissue coverage

1. One-piece implants – made of titanium, neutral for the human body. They have the form of a monolith, so the thread and the connector form a whole. Unlike two-piece implants, there are no gaps in them. Placing one-piece implants allows you to skip the stage of healing guests, but they can only be used if the bones in the oral cavity are of the appropriate thickness and density.
2. Two-piece implants – these are dental implants in the form of titanium screws. They consist of two parts – one of them is attached to the bone and ends inside the gum, and the other one protrudes above the gum and supports the crown. These implants are placed when the bone needs reconstruction. It is a solution for patients with defects in the jaw and mandible bone. When placing two-piece implants, the gum must first be incised.

Types of implants depending on the place of implantation

1. Endosseous implants – these are dental implants fixed to the jaw bone with a surgical method. When the tissue surrounding the gums heals after the first procedure, it is necessary to fix the post to the implant – this is the second and necessary surgical procedure, without which it is not possible to insert this type of implant. Endosseous implants are only implanted into the bone.
2. Subcutaneous implants – this type of dental implants allows you to adapt to various bone conditions. They are placed between the bone and the periosteum using titanium screws. They enable bite reconstruction, also when there is complete bone loss, and effectively solves the problem of toothlessness. Subosseous implants are a solution that can be used by people who do not want to wear removable dentures.

Types of implants depending on the method of insertion

1. single-stage implants – these are dental implants consisting of a screw with a thread, which is its integral part. Implanting them is considered to be one of the fastest methods of restoring the dentition. Once the screw is in the socket, the prosthetic component, both permanent and temporary, can be attached to it immediately. However, in order to install an implant of this type, the skeleton should be fully healthy beforehand.
2. Two-stage implants – an implant fixed in the bone, which is loaded after several weeks or months. However, two-stage implants do not meet the needs of many patients with spongy bone loss and exposed implant – as a result, bacteria may appear on it, causing inflammation and bone loss.

Indications for placing dental implants

Theoretically, anyone who has lost a tooth can insert an implant in its place. However, the indications to put them on are greater gaps in dentition, wing gaps and a small number of natural teeth. Dental implants are often placed in people with a complete lack of dentition, wing deficiency and a deficiency of molars. They are also chosen by people who, for various reasons, do not like the use of a removable prosthesis and care about greater comfort of life.

Contraindications for dental implants

Dental implants are not recommended for people with reduced immunity of the immune system caused by taking medications. They should also not be worn by people with severe heart and circulatory diseases, nicotine abusers and people with certain mental illnesses. Nevertheless, if a doctor decides to put implants on, for example, a tobacco smoker, he will not be able to guarantee that the implantation will be successful.

Other, no less important, contraindications to dental implants are too little connective tissue or poor bone quality. They are also not applied to people suffering from diseases of the jaw bones, mouth and periodontium mucosa. Other contraindications include pains in the jaw area of ​​unknown causes, inadequate bite structure and bruxism. Implants are also not placed in patients with incomplete jaw growth.

What are the health risks associated with a dental implant?

The result of implanting dental implants may be inflammation of the tissues around the implant (periimplantitis), which is a disease that resembles periodontitis of a natural tooth. A deposit may appear on dental implants as well as on natural teeth. If it is not removed early enough, the result will be inflammation of the gums. Failure to remove the plaque will result in the development of inflammation and transmission of the infection to the bone.

With dental implants, treating tissue inflammation is more difficult than with natural teeth. Removal of the deposit from the dental implant requires careful treatment by the dentist, otherwise the surface structure will not be damaged. People with dental implants sometimes need to take targeted antibiotics to remove pathogenic microorganisms more effectively.

Loss of the implant is a rare but occasional event. As a rule, there is nothing to prevent a dental implant from being re-implanted. In order to minimize the occurrence of complications, the patient should regularly take care of oral hygiene and refrain from smoking. The most important thing is to take care of the gums and prevent the formation of tartar – it will be helpful to use a dental irrigator, which allows you to remove food residues from the area of ​​the dental implant.

What is the procedure of placing dental implants?

Before performing the implantation procedure, the patient’s oral cavity must be rinsed with a microbial reducing fluid. Sometimes your doctor may also recommend taking an antibiotic to prevent inflammation – otherwise you may lose the implant or cause your blood to become infected temporarily with bacteria. When the bone at the implant site turns out to be too weak, the implantologist may perform the bone tissue reconstruction procedure in the place where the implant will be inserted.

A dental implant is usually implanted under local anesthesia. The membrane in the place where the implant will be placed is removed. The implant bed is prepared using a drill, but it works at low speed and, in addition, the bone is constantly cooled so that it does not overheat. Once the dental implant is in the gum, the doctor sutures it and removes the stitches after ten days.

An important stage of implant placement is the healing stage. Then a dental prosthesis is placed over the implant. During the healing process, the bone is left for several weeks for it to fuse with the implant. The healing phase takes longer when the implant is secured in the upper jaw. After its completion, a second operation follows, during which the implant is exposed and the formation of the dentures takes place. Then the prosthetic superstructure is placed.

What after tooth implantation surgery?

When the dental implant is already implanted, special care should be taken to surround the place where it is located. This part of the body should not be overloaded or intensively cleaned next to the seam with a hard brush – the remaining teeth, however, need to be thoroughly washed. After the operation, the patient is given antiseptic mouthwash solutions. People with dental implants should use various techniques and accessories to clean them, e.g. a special soft floss.

Dental implants after implantation must be constantly monitored to prevent inflammation. Early infections can be treated more successfully, but advanced infections not only require more work, but also have more dangerous effects on health, e.g. atrophy of the jaw and mandible bones. Implants should be checked every 3 or 4 months.

What are the advantages of dental implants?

Contrary to appearances, missing teeth are not only an aesthetic problem. Even the lack of a single tooth can make it difficult to chew the food and thus make too much of a bite into the digestive system, which strains the digestive system. People with missing teeth or wearing mismatched dentures often give up eating hard and sticky products, often containing essential vitamins and minerals.

The lack of dental implants can cause speech impediments. When the tongue cannot rest on the teeth, the articulation of some sounds becomes impossible – this is the reason, among others, of lisp and other speech impediments. The lack of a tooth also means that the bone in this area begins to shrink and it can have a negative impact on the aesthetics of the face – as a result, wrinkles appear on the face and it may look older.

The presence of dental implants in the place of the cavities prevents the remaining teeth from changing their position. On the other hand, leaving the oral cavity with cavities causes bone atrophy and a change in the distribution of forces in the oral cavity – when the teeth in the maxilla and mandible are defective, sometimes headaches and spine pains may result. In addition, the presence of dental implants has psychological benefits – full dentition makes us smile more willingly and we are more confident in interpersonal relations.

Do dental implants have disadvantages?

Dental implants are not free from defects. One of them is the price – the cost of installing implants is even several thousand zlotys and it is not an expense that everyone can afford. With the insertion of a dental implant, there is still no guarantee that the body will accept it – rejecting the dental implant can result in inflammation, bleeding, pain and swelling.

What are the advantages of veneers and crowns?

The advantage of crowns is high flexibility – they can also be attached to damaged teeth and dental implants. Crowns also fulfill a protective function and hide defects of teeth. They can be made, among others entirely of porcelain or porcelain with an admixture of metal. What’s more, they are perfect for the reconstruction of root canal treated teeth and for the protection of weak teeth that can break at any time.

Veneers are thin porcelain flakes stuck to the surface of a natural tooth. They hide imperfections, e.g. discoloration, gaps, fillings and shape disturbances. They make the tooth take shape so it can be elongated or widened. Veneers can be put on quickly and the effect will be visible after leaving the dentist’s office. However, it is important to remember that this is a temporary solution and will not replace orthodontic treatment.

Which dental implant system to choose?

This decision should be discussed with your dentist first. The dental market has a wide range of dental implants, but each model has its advantages and disadvantages. When choosing the right one, it is worth using the services of companies with proven technological and research facilities. It is definitely not worth using dental implants produced by companies that do not provide guarantees for their products or they are short.

How much does a tooth implant cost?

The cost of inserting an implant depends primarily on the implant itself. For example, we will pay more for an implant of one tooth with a titanium abutment than for an implant with a zirconium base. The price also depends on the advancement of activities – dentures mounted on several implants are extremely expensive. Price tooth implant it is about PLN 3500. The connector costs about PLN 600, while the price of a porcelain crown is about PLN 1000-2000.

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