Dental Implants
Dental Implants Ottawa
Patients today can turn with trust and confidence to Implant Dentistry for effective and long-lasting solutions to tooth loss. The invention of dental implants goes back several decades but their popularity and widespread use is relatively recent. Implants are essentially artificial dental roots that are "implanted" into the jaw bone and restored with prosthetic teeth. This design and technique is successful in permanently replacing missing teeth without involving healthy natural teeth in the treatment. Dental implant treatment consists of two stages:
1) Dental Implant Placement
Dental implants (very small titanium components resembling screws) are surgically placed (implanted) into the jaw bone in the area of the missing teeth. Soon thereafter, the bone starts to grow around the implants, keeping them firmly in place. This process, called osseointegration, is completed in approximately six months, at which point the implants are ready to be restored with an appropriate dental prosthesis (crown, bridge or denture).
2) Dental Implant Restoration
Generally speaking, if dental implants are properly placed and fully healed, their final restoration is relatively easy. The protective abutment is removed from each implant and a restorative prosthesis is simply screwed on. An implant supported crown replaces a single tooth, implant supported bridge replaces several missing teeth and a fixed, implant supported denture is put in place if all natural teeth are gone.
If maintained properly, dental implants are impressive in terms of their appearance, functionality and durability. They are continuously being improved upon, and are deservedly / justifiably gaining in popularity.
Implant Supported Crowns
For patients with only one tooth missing, an implant supported crown is a very effective (and popular) treatment solution. It involves the placement of a single implant in the area where the tooth is missing. The implant, once fully healed and firmly attached to the bone, is restored with a dental crown. The crown is made of ceramic, enamel-like material that is durable and can easily be matched with the colour of the surrounding teeth. The final product is a prosthetic replacement that very much functions as a natural tooth. From the overall oral health point of view, a major advantage of the implant supported crown is the fact that it replaces the missing tooth without in any way involving the neighbouring teeth in the treatment.
Implant Supported Bridges
In cases where multiple teeth are missing, dental implants can provide a relatively simple, long-lasting and attractive solution. Depending on the number of teeth that are missing, two or more implants can be strategically placed in the empty space and these will securely support and hold the bridge in place. Once again, a major advantage of this type of restoration is that it in no way affects any healthy teeth.
Implant Supported Dentures
Until fairly recently, edentulous patients (with all teeth missing) had only one treatment option available to them - a complete, removable denture. Today, thanks to implant dentistry, they can opt for a fixed restoration - an implant supported denture. With the placement of as little as four implants per arch, a patient can have a permanent (fixed) denture that offers comfort, stability and overall functionality that closely resembles natural teeth.
All implant supported restorations have several important advantages over their more traditional counterparts: improved comfort, stability and functionality. By providing root replacement, implants slow down and minimize the recession of the jaw bone (resorption).
