What are dental implants?

Dental implants are becoming the restoration of choice to replace missing teeth. But why have they become so popular? Are they reliable? Who is a good candidate for dental implants? Here is everything you need to know about dental implants.

What are dental implants made of?

For a thousand years, people have tried replacing missing teeth with things like shells, stone carvings, animal bones, and metal screws. Unfortunately, most substances are seen as foreign by the body’s immune system.

In the middle of the twentieth century, certain metals were discovered that the body did not reject. Dental implants made from these metals were held in place by screws or wedging into slots in the bone. While they worked better, these implants often became loose or dislodged.

In 1952, a Swedish doctor named P.I. Brånemark placed titanium posts in bone. This metal actually fused to the bone when it healed.

He called this process osseointegration. He went on to create the modern dental implant, with titanium becoming the standard material used.

Types of dental implants

Endosteal implant

The most common form of dental implant used today is the endosteal implant. Endosteal basically means “in the bone”. These type of implants are placed directly into the bone of the jaw.

Endosteal implants are normally shaped like a post. This mimics a natural tooth root. Wondering are dental implants safe? By fusing to the bone, these types of dental implants have proven to have a very high rate of success and can last a lifetime.

Subperiosteal implant

A subperiosteal implant is a metal framework instead of a post. It is surgically placed under the gums and directly on the bone of your jaw. The frame has several attachments that poke up through your gums and allow a dental bridge to be attached.

With modern 3D imaging, there are few cases where subperiosteal implants are used today. The postoperative pain and failure rate of subperiosteal implants are much higher than endosteal implants.

How do dental implants work?

Dental implants are surgically placed posts which anchor into the bone of the jaw. Dental crowns or bridges can be solidly attached to these posts. This avoids the movement and decreased chewing ability common with conventional dentures.

The titanium implants actually fuse to the bone itself. Because of this, they can last a lifetime. The restorations placed on the implants look great, feel natural, and function like real teeth.

Pros & cons of dental implants

Pros

Provide increased chewing ability

Maintain the bone in the jaw

Look and feel like natural teeth

Remain permanently in the mouth

Can last for a lifetime

Cons

Require multiple procedures for placement

Long healing times

Bone grafting procedures may be necessary

Possible need for sinus lift surgery

Cost with crown may be $2000-$6000 per tooth

Can you replace all teeth with dental implants?

Given what dental implants cost, replacing each and every tooth in your mouth with individual dental implants could get very expensive. Fortunately, there are alternatives to replacing each tooth individually.

Dentists created a method to utilize just 4-6 implants and attach a bridge. A bridge is a series of connected dental crowns and can be used to create an entire arch of teeth. This considerably reduces the number of implants necessary.

This All-On-Four technique has become a standard procedure but still has its drawbacks. The main drawback is that it still requires multiple surgeries and long healing times before final restorations can be placed.

Meet G4 Implant Solution

An alternative to the All-On-Four technique has been developed in recent years, however.

The G4 Implant Solution greatly improves on the All-On-Four method. It allows a full upper and/or lower set of teeth to be replaced in just one 24 hour period.

We use a custom milled titanium framework made by our in-house laboratories. Over this framework we create a set of beautiful, permanent full arch bridges delivered just one day after surgery.

Golpa Implant Centers are found in Las Vegas, Dallas and Tysons Corner. We are the only dental implant dentists in the world providing this ground-breaking treatment technique and are today recognized as the new standard in dental implant care.