Dental implants - that's how a treatment works

If you have lost a tooth or have such broken teeth that they have to be pulled out, dental implants can be the solution that makes you dare to laugh and smile again.

Dental implants can be a good option if you need to replace lost teeth. Your path to a new smile begins with a consultation to see if you have the right conditions for successful implant treatment.

For more info, please go through our FAQs page. 

Dental implants are a surgical process that replaces your natural tooth root and is an appreciated option for patients who are missing or have damaged teeth. The process can vary from case to case depending on, among other things, the condition of the jawbone and possible pre-treatments. Thereafter, the course of treatment mainly consists of two steps: a surgical procedure and a prosthetic treatment. In between, time is left for healing for both bone and soft tissue.

The road to dental implants begins with a consultation. Then you get to see a dentist and tell about your expectations and ask your questions. The dentist goes through the situation in your mouth to see if you are a suitable candidate, is healthy in the oral cavity and then tells you about your individual conditions. During the consultation, you will also undergo an examination with a panoramic X-ray.

The treatment step by step

Pretreatment

Dental implants are a major procedure and in order for the conditions for the treatment to be successful, it is important that you are completely healthy in the oral cavity. The treatment begins with a consultation, a thorough review of your dental health and an X-ray examination.

The implant is attached to the jawbone 

The implants are attached to the jawbone during a surgical procedure with local anesthesia. The gums folding and the bulb drill a hole drilled in the jawbone in which the titanium screws are attached. How many teeth to replace and their location determines how many screws to attach.

Individual healing process

During the healing process, the titanium screws grow firmly into the bone. How long it takes is biological and thus individual, but the healing process is normally estimated to take two to three months. In some cases it goes faster and in other cases it takes longer.

Imprint

After everything has healed, an impression is taken of the situation in your mouth. This is used to make a model of what your teeth will look like. When you and the dentist are satisfied with the appearance of the teeth, the work is forwarded to a dental technician who manufactures your new teeth.

Tooth skeleton and crowns

A dental technician then produces a metal dental skeleton, the most common being titanium or a mixture of cobalt and chromium. The metal skeleton is then covered with porcelain. When completed, the artificial teeth are attached either directly to the dental implant or to an extension called a spacer.

Aftercare and follow-up

It is important to follow the dentist's recommendations on how to care for your implants. Check your teeth yourself and feel that the dental crowns feel stable and that they are intact. You will also be called for check-ups so that the dentist can see that the implants are in place.

Common pre-treatments

Tooth extraction or construction of jawbones are the most common pre-treatments linked to dental implants. Usually, dental implants replace lost or very broken teeth. If the tooth to be replaced with a dental implant is broken but still in place, an extraction of the tooth is required. Structure of the jawbone is done when the bone is not thick enough or if it is too soft to attach a dental implant. The procedure involves taking bone tissue from a place and attaching it to the jawbone, but you can also use synthetic materials. The healing process for this type of treatment takes about four to twelve months. After that, the implant treatment can be started. If you have suffered from an inflammation that has reached the dental nerve, a root canal may be necessary. This treatment involves cleaning the tooth and removing the pulp. The tooth roots are filled with a filling material called gutaperka. The crown is then filled with either composite or glass atoms.

Can everyone get dental implants?

In most cases, a person who is healthy enough to undergo a tooth extraction can undergo a treatment with dental implants. It is important that the patient is healthy in the oral cavity, has a healthy gum and enough jawbone to attach the implant in. It is also important that a patient who is or has undergone a dental implant treatment is dedicated to taking care of their oral hygiene and going for regular check-ups. at his dentist. There are some groups that are less suitable as implant patients. People who smoke a lot or who have diseases that are not stable, such as untreated diabetes or heart disease. These patients must be evaluated at the individual level to see what the individual conditions look like. This also applies to people who have undergone radiation treatments in the head or neck area.

Risks with the treatment

When an experienced and knowledgeable dentist performs a dental implant treatment, the procedure is considered one of the safest and most predictable in dental surgery. Dental implants are a strong and stable replacement for a lost tooth. As with all procedures, there are risks with dental implants. There are many factors that can affect the healing process, such as bone quality and density, how the tissue reacts or if any surrounding anatomical structure is damaged during the procedure. The stability of the dental implant after insertion gives a sign of how the implant grows together with the bone. If the implant is unstable from the beginning, they may indicate that it will not attach properly. Infections in the area are another complication that can occur. To reduce the risk of infections, it is important to follow the dentist's recommendations and advice on hygiene after the procedure. Other complications that can occur are nerve damage, bleeding, difficulty in healing and damage to the tissue. Since dental implants are a surgical procedure, it is important to consider choosing an experienced dentist who has attached many implants. The biggest guarantee for a successful deposit and a sustainable result is experience.

Complications that may occur before starting treatment

It may be that there are too few bones in the jaw to be able to insert implants. It can have several different causes, for example that the jawbone has regenerated, that there are no bones, that nerves or blood vessels are in the way. If this is the case, further pre-treatment is required to enable an implant treatment.

Secure implants with stable results

There are a plethora of options when it comes to dental implant suppliers. At Aqua Dental, we have chosen Straumann as the first-hand alternative for several reasons, but above all, because we have seen that their implants guarantee high quality and are a security for our patients. There are also studies and research that support the use of their implants.

Do you have questions or do you want to make an appointment?

Are you interested in booking an appointment with us? Or do you want to know more about dental implants? These FAQs would help you at the first hand.