How does a sinuslift procedure work`?

October 28, 2010 Categories: Dental Procedures, Dental Surgery, Esthetics, General Dental Info, Implants by Comments Off

A sinus-lift procedure is a procedure performed by a dentist where bone mass is added to the upper part of the jaw near the maxillary sinus cavity. Another name for this operation is sinus elevation.

This surgical procedure increases the likelihood of success of a dental implant.  That’s because this area near the maxillary sinus cavity (behind the upper cheek) can create a problem for those getting implants.

If you have a large sinus cavity here, the bone height may be inadequate for an implant to be placed there. And if so, that’s when this operation is performed.

The bone that is added can be from a bone from another part of the body or from artificial bone graft material. If the bone is taken from the patient’s body, it’s taken from the chin for example. When a bone transplant is taken from the same person who will receive it, that type of transplant is called an autologous transplant.

During a sinus lift, a small incision is made to enter the sinus. The graft is added to the base of the sinus cavity.  The result is that there is now room for the implant.

Variations of the sinuslift or sinus elevation operation were invented by Tatum in 1986, Summer in 1994 and Chen in 2005.

Bridges Fixed on Implants

October 28, 2010 Categories: Bridges, Common Dental Procedures, Dental Procedures, Esthetics, General Dental Info, Implants by Comments Off

You may think that an implant only replaces one tooth.

However, dentistry has evolved to the point where bridges can be fixed on implants that involve more than one tooth. Dentures can also be fixed on implants and when this happens, multiple implants are used in the process.

A bridge fixed on implants does not attach to the natural teeth. Instead, it is attached to the implants themselves. The bridge holds the crowns and may be removable or fixed into one place.

If the bridge fixed on implants is removable, the dentist adds a thin bar onto the top of the implant abutments. The bridge will clamp onto the bar. This way, the patient can remove the teeth whenever they want. However, if the bridge is fixed, the bridge is screwed or cemented onto the abutments.

Bridges fixed on implants works better on the lower jaw than the upper jaw. That’s because the bone in the upper jaw is usually more porous. This doesn’t mean that the bridges fixed on implant procedure cannot be performed; it just means that healing may be longer before the temporary crowns are loaded.

Bridges fixed on implants is truly a dental esthetic wonder. They allow patients to chew again, to speak clearly again, and most of all, to smile again.

Temporary Teeth Replacement after Implantation

October 28, 2010 Categories: Bridges, Ceramics, Common Dental Procedures, Dentures, Esthetics, General Dental Info, Implants by Comments Off

If you’re scheduled to get a dental implant, it’s important for you to understand the dental implant process. The entire process can take up to six months from start to finish, but you will receive temporary teeth replacement after implantation.

Yes, the process does take awhile, especially if a three-stage implant procedure is used.  The delay is the body’s healing time and the length of time it takes for the body to create the bone around the implants. This new bone secures the implant and makes it functional.

In the first stage, teeth that are damaged or diseased are extracted. This is the stage when the titanium implants are inserted into the jawbone during surgery. After the surgery, the gums are sutured to allow the bone to fuse with the implants. During this healing process, you don’t want to be without teeth. The dentist will give you a temporary prosthesis to wear. A prosthesis is a man-made device such as a man-made tooth, set of dentures or bridge.

During the second stage, an incision is made in the gums to see the progress of the implants. A cap-like structure called an abutment is attached to the implants. This is another time for temporary teeth replacement after implantation.  Temporary crowns are placed on the abutments. You’re almost finished with the process at this point.

During the third stage, your dentist takes impressions of your mouth and the implants so the permanent crown implants can be made. Once they are verified to fit your mouth exactly, the new crowns are attached to the implants.

Can’t I Have Teeth Any Time Sooner?

There is a same day implant procedure that may also be used for dental implants. This technique is most often used to treat the lower jaw.  After several implants are inserted in your jawbone, a complete arch of temporary or permanent teeth can be fixed in place a few hours later. After healing, any temporary teeth will normally be replaced with a permanent bridge. Not all patients are suitable for this type of dental implantation.

Computer aided Navigation of the Implantation

October 28, 2010 Categories: Common Dental Procedures, Dental Procedures, Dental Surgery, Esthetics, Implants by Comments Off

Computers play an important part in implant dentistry. They can insure that the implants are placed exactly where they need to be, based on radiographs and CT scans previously taken of the patient’s teeth and gums.

There are two primary systems of computer-aided navigation of the implantation:  electromagnetic tracking system and optical tracking system.  The electromagnetic tracking system may not work properly with an implant drill if the drill distorts the magnetic field. If this occurs, then it’s impossible to see the implant socket that the dentist is drilling into.

On the other hand, the optical tracking system is not disturbed by conductive materials.  Researchers at the Clinic of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medical School at the University of Vienna discovered that the optical tracking system worked successfully.

Since the University of Vienna researchers’ original study in 1999, which was available online since August 2005, other computer-aided navigation systems have been developed but they were developed for the administration of radiotherapy.

The researchers’ optical tracking system (computer-aided navigation of the implantation) is composed of video cameras and light-emitting diodes that use binocular vision and retroreflective markers to determine tracking in real-time. When a system such as this is used, there is less chance to prevent injury to anatomical tissues in the mouth.

Immediate Loading of Implants: What Does It Mean?

October 28, 2010 Categories: Dental Procedures, Dentures, Esthetics, General Dental Info, Implants by Comments Off

The standard dental implant procedure involves two to three stages of surgery. However, it is becoming more and more common that the procedure is done in one dental visit instead of two. When the implant procedure is done in only one surgery, the term is called “immediate loading of implants.”

Dental Implants and Diabetes

October 28, 2010 Categories: Dental Procedures, Esthetics, General Dental Info, Implants, Known Connections of Dental Disease & Health by Comments Off

Diabetics often ask, “Dr., can I get an implant?”

The answer is often, “Let’s sit down and see how you’ve been doing with your diabetes.”

The dentist may want to check the most recent lab tests, especially the HbA1c test. This test is a good indication of the level of blood sugar control that has occurred over the last few months. The closer this level is to normal, the better the chance that the dental implants will be successful.

But there are other factors to consider. Because diabetics are more prone to dental disease than people without diabetes, it’s imperative that there aren’t any active infections in the body before, during or after the dental implant procedure. An active uncontrolled infection would interfere with the body’s healing ability and slow down healing of the tissues around the implant.

Dentists believe that the best predictor of whether or not a dental implant will be successful in a diabetic is the level of blood sugar control. The reason why is based on science. Chemicals called advanced glycation endproducts or AGEs are formed at high rates whenever the blood glucose level is too high. The AGEs are linked to diabetic complications, dementia, cancer and aging. Once produced in the body, they cause damage at a level far greater than free radicals.

Another factor that determines whether a diabetic can obtain an implants or not is his smoking habits. Smoking adds another 15.8% chance of failure added to the risk.

Dental Implants and Smoking: What’s the Connection?

October 28, 2010 Categories: Esthetics, General Dental Info, Implants, Known Connections of Dental Disease & Health, Prevention by Comments Off

Most people would agree that smoking is a bad habit. There is a known negative correlation of smoking to dental health,  Smokers have a higher rate of dental disease than those who don’t smoke.

The Journal of Periodontology reported on the connection between dental implants and smoking in 2007. Researchers wanted to see if smoking impacted the ability of the implant to succeed.

When discussing dental implants, it’s important to distinguish between two terms: implant survival and implant success. Implant survival meant that  an implant is still physically in the mouth. That implant may not work properly, but if it’s in the mouth, it’s considered successful. Implant survival refers to implants that are physically in the mouth and also are working. They are doing what they were designed to do.

Researchers found that smoking is a risk factor and can lead to dental implant failure. In the non-smoking population, only 1.4% of implants fail, as compared to 15.8% of those that fail in smokers.

The reason why smokers’ implants are not as successful as for those who don’t smoke is because smoking decreases blood flow to the bone and oral tissues. This impairs bone healing. After an implant is set in place, there’s a certain time period where you have to grow bone. If you don’t grow the bone then, the implant will fail.

Dentists believe that if you want your dental implant to be considered a success, then don’t smoke. Quit smoking for good if you want your implants to do more than just survive.

Bone Augmentation

October 28, 2010 Categories: Common Dental Procedures, Dental Procedures, Esthetics, General Dental Info, Implants by Comments Off

One of the factors in a successful tooth implant is the strength of the bone that surrounds it. The combination of severe bone resorption and demineralization increase the risk of implant failures. If someone has osteoporosis, the bone in the jaw may be thin and thus, won’t hold an implant. If someone has been wearing dentures for years plus has osteoporosis, then it may be difficult for the implant to work.

After an implant is positioned in the jaw, the next two months are crucial for implant success. That’s the time period when the bone is growing around the implant to hold it in place.

Dentists have created a procedure called bone augmentation to create the bone volume that is necessary for the implants to stay securely in their new position in the jaw. Bone augmentation uses bone taken either from the same person or a bone donor to use as a graft. It’s estimated that about 10% of patients may require bone augmentation before they undergo implant surgery.

In the case where bone is taken from the same person, there are different locations of the body where the bone can be taken. One of them is the skull; another is the pelvis bone.

The bone augmentation process will widen or heighten the jawbone. It’s a way for the body to grow bone that’s been lost. The bone cells of the new bone are assimilated into the old bone of the jaw over time – about four to six months. The result is that the new bone is very much stronger than the old bone.

If a person has poor bone quality, the process of bone augmentation may be exactly what is needed to go ahead and still have the implants – and the dream teeth the person always wanted. However, if bone augmentation is needed, there’s a waiting period before dreams become reality.

Metal Free Ceramic Implants

October 28, 2010 Categories: Ceramics, Common Dental Procedures, Dental Procedures, General Dental Info, Implants by Comments Off

The days when people had to show the world that they needed teeth restoration or teeth implants are gone. The dark lines around the gum line are now disappearing.

The reason why?

Simply because dentists and patients are tired of the dark lines. They believe that technology can solve the problem and give them a great-looking smile that also withstands the test of time.

Dental technology has now entered into a new phase of metal-free ceramic implants and crowns. Dentists don’t have to implant titanium or other metals during the implant procedure.

The new metal-free ceramic implants are made from zirconium oxide, which is ZrO2. The substance is so strong that it’s used in spaceships to resist high temperatures and cracking. The substance zirconium is a natural white color which makes it even more of a perfect fit for those who are looking for not only an esthetically-pleasing smile, but also a strong one that will potentially last for years.

Metal-free ceramic implants have tough ceramic cores underneath porcelain. The reason why they look better than their metal counterparts is because when a crown has a metal substructure, it is a lot less translucent than natural teeth. It may take on a grayish tint to it. However, a metal-free ceramic implant will look translucent like a regular tooth.

The metal-free ceramic implant is one example of modern day dentistry operating at its very highest level.

The Benefits of Dentures Fixed on implants

October 27, 2010 Categories: Dentures, Esthetics, Implants by Comments Off

Denture fixed on implants

There are many benefits that dentures fixed on implants offer.
Here are some of them:
1. Better appearance. Implants will stop the jawbone from shrinking. Whether a person wears dentures or not, when the teeth are gone, the jaw starts shrinking. This affects the definition of the lower part of the face. The chin starts protruding forward and the jawbone itself looks as if it has shrunk. With implants, there is still stimulation of the jawbone that simulates teeth so the jaw shrinkage is less.

2. Comfort when chewing. Loose dentures can irritate or even injure the gums. This doesn’t happen with dentures fixed on implants.

3. Improved eating. With dentures fixed on implants, chewing is similar to what happens with natural teeth. Taste is not affected with dentures fixed on implants.

4. Improved speech. Without teeth, a person’s speech is affected. It’s harder to pronounce words, especially when dentures are loose. With dentures fixed on implants that simulate teeth, the speech is close to normal. There are no clicking sounds.

5. Sense of security. There’s peace of mind when you know you have a permanent set of teeth. Dentures fixed on implants are secure. You won’t be wrapping them in a paper towel that is thrown out in the trash and the children and dogs won’t be snooping around for them to play with them as a toy.

6. Higher self-esteem. Having permanent teeth as dentures fixed on implants is definitely a confidence booster. They’re esthetically pleasing.

7. Better health. When you have teeth, you can chew foods that you wouldn’t be able to otherwise. This increases the variety of foods you eat in your diet. A variety of foods will provide a multitude of phytonutrients and vitamins and minerals that are needed for health.

Dentures fixed on implants have helped thousands of people in the U.S. increase the quality of their life.

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