Dental implants:
Role, benefits, success rate
What are dental implants' primary purposes?
Many patients may wonder why they should choose dental implants (which are more expensive) over traditional dental restorations supported by natural teeth.
The great advantage of a dental implant is that it replaces the missing tooth in the most natural way possible. Dental implants "fuse" with the bone thanks to the biological process called osseointegration (we will discuss more about osseointegration later in this book).
Thanks to this process, implant-supported prostheses offer a variety of advantages compared to conventional restorations.
The main objective of any dental implant restoration is properly replacing the missing teeth.
Teeth have three functions: Chewing, Aesthetics, and Pronunciation. The main goal of any dental restoration is to restore these functions as close as possible to natural teeth.
Let's compare implant restorations to traditional restoration in rehabilitating teeth's main functions:
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Mastication or chewing process
Mastication is a fundamental dental process. When a dental prosthesis is designed, restoring this process as closely as possible to natural teeth is essential. The patient will quickly accommodate the new restoration when this goal is achieved.
For example, when an implant-supported denture is manufactured, the chewing forces are passed to the surrounding bone, just like natural teeth (see image). Consequently, chewing comfort is excellent because dental implants function remarkably like natural teeth.
chewing forces in case of a dental implant
By contrast, when a traditional denture is designed, some chewing forces are passed to the underneath gums, as dentures usually rest exclusively on the gums.
Because the gum tissues are not used to withstand excessive pressure, it will take longer to get used to traditional removable dentures.
chewing forces in case of removable dentures
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Aesthetics
Restoring aesthetics is, for many patients, the most important goal. The general aesthetic of an implant-supported reconstruction is excellent. A dental implant restores a lost tooth to look, feel, fit, and function almost like a natural tooth.
restoring aesthetics with
two implant-supported crowns -
Phonation or pronunciation
Standard speech can be disrupted when the front upper teeth (particularly incisors) are missing. It is well known that these teeth are essential in pronouncing some consonants.
Adjusting to traditional removable dentures can mean struggling to pronounce everyday words until mouth tissues adapt to the new situation (which can take several weeks); not so with dental implants, which function almost like natural teeth.
What are dental implants' essential advantages?
As we said, the most significant advantage of dental implants is how they replace missing teeth. Implants "fuse" with the bone thanks to the biological process called osseointegration, and, as a result, they function like natural teeth.
Thanks to this process, implant-supported prostheses offer a variety of advantages compared to conventional restorations.
Dental implants reduce the load on the remaining oral structures (teeth, gums, jawbone) by offering independent support and retention to crowns, bridges, and removable dentures.
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Dental implants preserve natural tooth tissue by avoiding the need to prepare adjacent teeth for conventional restorations (for example, a traditional dental bridge).
Tooth preparation involves permanently removing parts of the tooth's original structure, including portions that might still be healthy and structurally sound.
single tooth gap: if a traditional dental bridge is designed, the preparation of the adjacent teeth is required
single tooth gap: if an implant-supported crown is manufactured, the adjacent teeth remain untouched
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Dental implants will preserve bone and significantly reduce bone resorption and deterioration. Bone resorption always results in loss of jawbone height or width.
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Implant-supported dentures allow you to chew the food better and speak more clearly. Studies have shown that these prostheses improve chewing efficiency and speaking compared to complete dentures.
implant-supported denture
complete denture (also known as full denture)
What are the main drawbacks?
Dental implants have few drawbacks if there are no general or local contraindications (we will discuss these later).
A surgical procedure for implant placement and a healing period is necessary before the definitive prosthesis is completed.
Dental implant procedures may entail an increase in cost compared to conventional dentistry.
Success rate
Because of constant developments in the field of implantology, the success rate of dental implants has continually risen.
In the presence of healthy tissues, a well-integrated implant with appropriate biomechanical loads can have long-term success rates of 93 to 98 percent for the fixture and 10 to 15 years lifespan for the prosthetic teeth.
Several factors can influence the success rate of dental implants:
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The quality and quantity of the available bone: Implants placed in thicker, stronger bone have a higher success rate. Sometimes, adjunctive surgical procedures are performed to increase the height or width of the alveolar bone.
Case complexity: Young and healthy patients with relatively simple restorations (e.g., single tooth missing) have a higher success rate.
Care And Maintenance: Taking good care of dental implants is vital for long-term success. You will learn how to take care of your implants later in this book.
Quality of the medical practitioner: It goes without saying that experienced implant specialists have a higher success rate.
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