Who would be a Good Candidate for a Dental Implant?

Patients that require dental implants must have good overall dental health. Some factors in deciding whether a patient is a suitable candidate include:

✓  Gum disease

✓  Diabetes

✓  Smoking habits

✓  Osteoporosis

✓  The degree of tooth decay

✓  Supportive jaw bones

✓  Bone size and structure

✓  The health of adjacent teeth

✓  The health of mucous membranes

✓  The location in the mouth

✓  Teeth Grinding

Use of bone-building drugs

Incorporating a foreign material into the body can have a high failure rate. To guarantee the most successful outcome of this complex surgery, the patient must meet all essential criteria to ensure the implant will not be rejected.

Dental Implant Procedure

Once the dentist has made molds of the patient's bite pattern for the tooth bridge or denture, there are five necessary steps required for successful fusion of the implant. The following is a general synopsis of what each patient can expect when undergoing a dental implant procedure.

Incision

After the dentist administers a substantial amount of anesthesia, the dentist will make a deep incision along the center of the gumline, directly above the jawbone. The gum tissue is separated and pulled back to expose the bone underneath. The site of the incision is essential to allow for the gum tissue to wrap around or even cover the implant after insertion.

1st Drilling

The first drill is where a highly qualified dentist is crucial. Dr. Gwilt will use a high-speed drill to place a tiny hole in the bone. The process requires expertise and precision so the hole does not damage or burn the bone, which could also damage the gum tissue.

2nd Drilling

After the first hole has been created, the dentist will continue to drill at a much slower speed using progressively larger drill bits. When the cavity has reached an optimal size for the implant, the drilling is complete. During this step, careful attention is needed to keep the heat low during drilling to avoid nerve or cell damage.

Dental Implant Placement

The implant is screwed into the hole with a pressure sensitive wrench intended to limit over-tightening or undue stress to the surrounding tissue and bone.

Cavity Closure

Once the implant is screwed into the bone, the soft gum tissue is brought back together to surround the implant either leaving the top exposed or covering it completely. The option between covering the implant entirely or allowing it to pierce through the surface gum tissue depends on the type of prosthetic tooth the will be installed.

What Types of Prosthetics can be Installed onto the Implant?

Once the implant procedure is complete, there are different options of prosthetic types that can be attached to the abutment, a connector to the implant. Dr. Gary Gwilt and his team located in Phoenix AZ have several years of experience connecting crowns, dentures, and fixed bridges to implant supported abutments. For multiple tooth prosthetics, the patient may require more than one implant to support the structure. The prosthetic can be further supported by adjacent teeth when anchoring a bridge. This type of bridge is fixed and cannot be removed by the patient. The bridge structure can vary between two prosthetics to a full row, equivalent to a denture. There are also dentures which the patient can remove. These prosthetics have a connector at the anchor points or the abutment itself, allowing the patient to remove the denture easily.

The recovery process can vary between several weeks to months, depending on how quickly the patient heals. The principal goal of cosmetic dentists is to obtain osseointegration with the initial implantation. Osseointegration is the result of the implant successfully fusing to the bone structure, which can occur naturally over time when the implant is inserted correctly and not rejected by the body. The process can take as long as six months to guarantee necessary implant stability. After the implant is secured, the dentist can install a prosthetic tooth, bridge, or denture.

Signs that an implant is securely fused to the bone include a lack of:

✓  Movement

✓  Pain

✓  Bleeding

✓  Bone loss

The dental implant procedure is not major surgery, but allowing for ample time for the implant to fully fuse to the bone is crucial to a healthy and stable prosthetic. Bone growth is slow but vital to the success of preventing the implant from any movement. Dr. Gary Gwilt and his team in Phoenix AZ are committed to their patient's long-term success, in which every effort is made in the care and stabilization of the dental implant. If you are located in the Phoenix AZ area and require cosmetic dental work, you will find comfort in the care and precision of Dr. Gwilt and his staff.