If you fear smiling or laughing in front of people just because you have a missing tooth, a dental implant is the ideal solution for you! Implants are a replacement of lost tooth and provide a very firm foundation for either a permanent tooth or a removable one. They are essentially a titanium tooth root, which are surgically implanted into your gums and bone. To achieve the best and most stable implant result for you, our Dentists at Boctor Dental Smilecentre work in close consultation with leading Gold Coast dental implant and gum specialists. With three convenient locations (Ashmore, Bundall and Currumbin) we offer treatment for patients across the whole Gold Coast. Implants have an array of benefits compared to other tooth loss solutions like comfort, better speech, improved self-esteem, easy eating, better appearance, better oral hygiene, a lifetime durability and convenience. Implants can be described as better than your natural teeth since they are not affected by cavities or tooth decay. Unlike removable dentures and fixed bridges, teeth implants don’t affect the neighboring teeth at all.
Common types of dental implantation techniques
There are two common techniques for tooth implants –traditional surgical technique and the immediate implant surgery technique. Both are done by either an Oral Surgeon (a specialist who has studied Dentistry and Medicine) or a Periodontist (a specialist who has studied Dentistry, then specialized in the treatment of gums), which you will be referred to by your Dentist.
Traditional Implant Surgery
The traditional surgery technique is recommended where greater caution is required regarding bone healing and density and also when there is no immediate need for a cosmetic solution. In this procedure, the tooth is extracted and you allow the gums and bone to heal for three to six months before getting your implant from the Oral Surgeon. When healing is done, the dental implant is placed onto the jaw bone and left to heal. The gums and bone takes a further three to six months to heal completely after which your Dentist at Boctor Dental Smilecentre will prepare for the implant crown. This is the most common method as it gives the gum and jawbone sufficient time to heal before the crown is fixed. Your Dentist inspects your implant and abutment before ordering for a custom crown which suits you. Your customized crown will take around three weeks to be constructed. Having your crown inserted is the final stage. The crown insertion is quite simple after which you are good to go. Unlike the immediate implant surgery, this method can be used regardless of dental infections.
Immediate Implant Surgery – Tooth In a Day
For the immediate implant option, the Periodontist or Oral surgeon fixes the implant onto the jawbone, with the suitable crown on it, immediately after the tooth is taken out. This procedure can be used to replace not only a single tooth, but also, using Nobel Biocare All On 4 Implants, you can have your entire smile fixed in one day. It is a single day procedure after which you walk home with a brand new smile. This method is preferred due to the fact that it enables you to leave the surgery room with a chewing ability, unlike the traditional method where you have to take six months before you can chew anything on a proper tooth. This option may sound preferable and attractive, but for you to qualify for immediate implants, you must have good oral and general health, good occlusion and satisfactory quality and quantity of bones. These requirements ensure the immediate fixation of the implant onto the gum. The method is more expensive than the traditional method due to the level of work involved. It is the best option for patients who intend to solve the problem in the shortest time possible.
Implant and Crown healing and precautions
The hole drilled into the jaw bone should be tightly fitting to the implant so as to avoid any movements within. The crown (top half of tooth, as opposed to the root) usually improves your dental functionality when it is cemented into position. Crowns are made from metal alloys, stainless steel, porcelain fused to metal, ceramic or porcelain among other materials. Following your dental implant procedure, it is important to have both the implant and implant crown routinely checked by your Dentist at your 6-monthly check up, scale and clean appointments. This is to ensure nothing has loosened and your Dentist may need to occasionally tighten either the implant or the crown. Implant fractures and abutment fractures are some of the leading causes of tooth implant failure. Though dental implants don’t decay, they require daily hygiene practices as those of normal teeth which are daily brushing and regular tooth floss to keep gum diseases and gingivitis at bay. Implants are the perfect solution whether you need to replace one tooth or the full set. Dental implants are an excellent lifetime solution for restoring that broad gummy smile you once had! To chat to one of our Dentist about whether a dental implant would suit you, book an appointment at one of our Gold Coast locations:
Bundall (07) 5592 1999
Currumbin (07) 5598 5666.
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