The Lowdown on Implant Dentistry

A popular field of dentistry that people are nowadays getting into is the field of implant dentistry. Implant dentistry deals with the placing of teeth implants as a replacement to the teeth that have been pulled off because of dental caries or other conditions that have affected the stability of the teeth. Implant dentistry is not for everyone since it is not only quite risky, done under general anesthesia, but also needs a big amount of money to perform. The procedure of implant dentistry also takes a long time to do, with allowances made for healing and integration of the implant with the jaw bone and gums.

Implant Dentistry is also quite a precarious procedure since there are several vital structures in the vicinity of the oral cavity that may be damaged especially if the procedure was not well planned out or the dentist not qualified and competitive enough to perform the procedure of implant dentistry. The vital structures include nerves and blood vessels that transverse the mandible to supply the oral cavity. Hitting these structures may bring about several problems to the patient.

There are different procedures that comprise implant dentistry. Some can take a long period of time to accomplish and others just a short period of time. It all depends on what the patient needs. Implant dentistry usually involves drilling a hole on the maxilla, the upper jaw bone, or the mandible, the lower jaw bone. The gums or gingiva are also cleared to give way to the implant. Sometimes, after the implant is put in place, the gingiva is sewed back to allow for the integration of the structures. After this procedure, then the crown is placed.

With this procedure of implant dentistry, wherein a hole is drilled into the bone, it allows the patient to be able to chew their food after a short recovery period since it is firmly anchored into the bone. But during those instances that it is not placed snugly on the bone, healing and recovery takes several weeks and even months before the patient is allowed to chew their food to prevent fracture of the jaw bone or even its necrosis.

The success of Implant dentistry depends on several factors. An important factor and yet frequently taken for granted is oral hygiene. Poor oral hygiene after implant dentistry may lead to an inflammation of the site of implantation. This is not due to dental carries but of peri implantitis, an infection of the dental implants. Smoking also slows down the recovery rate and increases the risk of infection which is the reason why patients are advised to stop smoking prior to implant dentistry. Another factor is the proper positioning of the implant. If the implant is placed poorly on the site or there is not much bone to use for implantation, the dentist would most probably discourage the placing of an implant but instead consider placing a bridge or dentures.

Implant dentistry was developed to restore the aesthetic features of a person brought about a great set of teeth. It is up to you to decide whether the pain and the risk of problems due to this procedure outweighs your desire to have that great looking implant enhanced grin.