What is a dental implant?
Dental implants are surgical fixtures serving as artificial tooth roots, which are placed in the jawbone with a non-invasive surgical procedure to replace the missing teeth in the lower or upper jaw. The raw material of dental implants is a titanium compound that ensures biological integrity with the body. Implants also prevent loss of bone and tissue in the mouth, which occurs over time due to loss of teeth. It is a successful treatment option because it both prevents bone loss in the jawbone and restores missing teeth efficiently. Dental implant placement is a much more comfortable treatment procedure and gives longer-lasting results compared to treatments involving conventional bridges or removable dentures. It is also highly preferred, since it provides a healthy and natural-looking appearance.
How is an Implant Placed?
Dental implant surgery intended not only to give the teeth an aesthetic and natural-looking appearance, but also to provide them with functions such as comfortable chewing and biting is performed under local anesthesia, so the patient does not feel pain. First of all, the bone structure of the patient is evaluated for implant placement with imaging techniques. If the patient’s bone structure is not suitable for implant placement, the amount of the bone is increased with the augmentation procedure, which involves bone grafting for making the jawbone suitable for implant placement. Depending on the situation, it may be necessary to wait for a while for this bone augmentation process. In patients with sufficient bone level, on the other hand, direct dental implant placement can be performed. Implant placement surgeries are followed by a waiting period varying from 3 to 6 months depending on the procedure performed in the patient, for the implant to osseointegrate with the jawbone and for tissue healing before proceeding to the dental prosthesis stage. Implants placed in the jawbone after implant surgery do not affect the social life of patients, who can can get back to their daily lives on the same day.
After the completion of this implant osseointegration and healing period, the implants are covered with temporary healing caps to shape the gums. The purpose of these healing caps is to shape the gums during the placement of the implants in the oral environment, in such a way as to give the dental prostheses a natural-looking appearance that enables them to look as if they come trough the gum tissue when they are placed on the implants. These healing caps are used for a period of approximately 7 to 10 days. After the removal of the healing caps, measurements are taken and new teeth are prepared according to the type of prosthesis preferred by the patient. Once the implant placement procedure is completed, the patient can use his or her natural-looking, healthy teeth like real teeth.
