Dental Osseointegration
Written by:Dental implants are indicated in any situation of tooth loss. We could say that it is the most recommended treatment to replace individual teeth or hold complete dentures. In addition, we can use them at any age, there is no limit in that sense.
Osseointegrated implants treatment
The treatment by means of osseointegrated implants comprises two phases. First, the surgical phase, consisting of the placement of the implants. Normally it is done in the dental office itself, by means of local anesthesia, the same one that we use to, for example, place a filling, in one or two sessions depending on the implants that are going to be placed.
Before proceeding to the next phase of treatment, a period of healing is necessary , during which the "osseointegration" of the implants is completed; this period comprises, in normal conditions, from 3 weeks to 3 months, depending on the quality of the bone, during which a provisional prosthesis can be worn. In some situations, it is possible to place a temporary fixed prosthesis on the implants on the same day of surgery, without respecting the period of osseointegration; is the so-called "immediate load", or "teeth in a day".
Once the osseointegration has been completed, the prosthetic phase begins , during which certain records are taken in the mouth, and in some cases it is necessary to perform some tests. At the end of this phase, about a month, the teeth are placed on the implants.
The implants are placed painlessly, handling the bone very carefully. The entire treatment process is very carefully developed. The intervention itself is much better tolerated, for example, than the extraction of a wisdom tooth; you can expect some inflammation, which will vary according to each patient. In general, analgesics are usually not necessary for more than two or three days.
Duration of osseointegrated implants
Statistically, the implants can be maintained for the rest of the patient's life . The success rate is very high , according to the previous characteristics of each case. Some situations present more risk, such as the presence of habits such as bruxism (grinding teeth that cause them to wear out), smoking, or poor oral hygiene. In general, the prosthesis on implants will behave in a similar way to a prosthesis on natural teeth and its longevity is generally greater.
Before implant placement
There are several types of implants, of which, the vast majority have not undergone any type of clinical analysis. Therefore, the use of a reliable implant system with long-term experience is very important.
In addition, when planning a treatment with implants, several parameters must be considered, and fundamentally, the characteristics of the bone. From the correct interpretation of all the factors an individual prognosis will be derived for each person.
Employing reliable and proven materials, and assessing the clinical conditions of each case carefully, are the keys to the success of the treatment.
