Implantology

Implantology is a branch of dentistry enabling the replacement of missing teeth with implants inserted into the bone.

An implant is usually made of titanium and resembles a small screw.

A dental implant consists of:

implant, graft – the part that is screwed into the bone during the surgical procedure,

prosthetic crown – the supragingival part of the implant,

connector – the element that connects the implant to the crown.

The procedure takes place under local anesthesia. Implant treatment is a multi-specialization procedure. Based on a clinical examination and a radiological assessment (cone beam scan), a place for the future tooth implant is mapped. The dental surgeon places the implant in the bone. After a healing period, the dentist, in collaboration with a prosthodontic lab, makes a crown that is screwed onto the implant. The crown is usually made of ceramic.

Currently, this is the best option in dentistry to replace a missing tooth.

The alternative to an implant is a dental bridge.

Implantation does affect the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth – here is the main advantage of implantation over making a conventional dental bridge. When a bridge is made, it is necessary to grind the teeth adjacent to the gap, which involves an irreversible loss of hard tissue of the patient’s own teeth.

Osteointegration

After the implant is screwed in, healing occurs – the bone integrates with the implant (the time when we wait until the titanium implant permanently fuses with the bone). Following integration with the bone, the implant can be loaded with a crown and from that moment on it functions in the occlusion as a full-fledged tooth.

In some situations (after evaluating local and general contraindications) the implant is immediately loaded with a temporary crown. Most often such a tooth is relieved in occlusion so as not to disturb the process of osteointegration. This makes it possible to fill the missing tooth right after the procedure, which is extremely important in case of front teeth, so that the aesthetics are preserved already in the first days after implantation.

Bone augmentation

In some cases, a patient’s bone conditions are insufficient to place an implant in the bone.

To increase the volume of bone in the area that will be implanted, bone substitute materials are used. With this procedure, where the original bone conditions did not allow for successful implantation, we are able to replace the missing tooth with an implant.

Implant-supported denture

Based on the current radiological examination, we plan prosthetic work that is supported by several dental implants, so that at a lower cost the patient can have the entire dental arch restored. Implant-supported dentures hold up much better than dentures supported by the patient’s soft tissues (the so-called tissue-borne dentures).

There are numerous contraindications to implantation, which are verified at the stage of medical history and clinical examination. These include systemic diseases and local conditions, such as:

• uncontrolled diabetes,
• AIDS,
• cancer,
• blood clotting disorders,
• kidney and liver disease,
• advanced osteoporosis,
• poor hygiene,
• insufficient bone volume (augmentation surgery required),
• alcohol or cigarette abuse have a significant impact on the healing process and increase the risk of implant failure (impaired osteointegration).

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