What are dental implants?

Dental implants are long-term solution for tooth roots and its missing tooth. Implants provide a solid fixed permanent replacement for your tooth designed to mimic your natural teeth.

Why would I need dental implants?

Millions of people worldwide suffer tooth loss commonly due to tooth decay, or less commonly due to direct injury and periodontal disease. When you lose a tooth, you lose its function and your smile isn’t complete anymore. Bridges and dentures may not be sufficient, as they offer temporary partial solutions. But dental implants replace the missing tooth and restores its function and aesthetic appearance.

What are the advantages of dental implants?

There are many advantages for dental implants than any other replacement device. Dental implants can:

1. Improve your appearance: implants have the look and feel of natural teeth.
2. Improve your speech: old poorly fitted dentures can easily slip off your mouth, making you mumble in your speech. But since dental implants are fused with your bones, you can talk easily with no mumbling or slurring.
3. Improve your chewing: when you lose a tooth, especially a molar, you can’t eat like you used to. But since dental implants are screwed into your jaw bones and replaces the missing tooth, it functions exactly like your own tooth and the more you get comfortable with it, the easier you can eat your favorite food.
4. Improve your self-esteem: missing tooth means imperfect smile, which means less self-confidence. But when you replace this tooth with something as reliable as implants, it automatically restores your self-esteem with it.
5. Improve your oral health: unlike dentures and bridges, dental implants don’t require reducing of the neighboring tooth, or any alteration leaving the rest of the teeth intact. This means better overall oral health and hygiene.
6. Last a life-time: with proper care and oral hygiene, your dental implants can last a lifetime.
7. Save you the embarrassment: dentures can embarrass you as it can suddenly fall off your mouth! But dental implants are fixed into your jaw bones making it more convenient, more comfortable and less dramatic!

What are the components of the dental implant?

it is mainly made of 3 parts:

1. Titanium implant or screw.
2. An abutment: a mount for your crown
3. The crown: the artificial teeth that looks and acts exactly like your replaced tooth.

How are dental implants installed?

In your first visit, your doctor takes full medical and oral history. He/she checks your general and oral health. He examines the missing tooth, its type, its function, its root and why did you lose it in the first place.

If you lost it to tooth decay, then he must instruct you on the best way to prevent losing other tooth to decay. He will treat any underlying cause to avoid more tooth loss.

Dental implants are costly, and still nothing beats your natural teeth!

After your doctor guides you through all the steps of dental implanting process, he will schedule an appointment with a specialized dentist and an oral surgeon.

1. Anesthesia: for your doctor to work easily and for you to feel no pain, it is highly advisable to go under sedation for this procedure. Whether it is local or general anesthesia, the decision is up to your doctor’s recommendation.
2. Damaged tooth removal: if the missing teeth still has its roots intact, then it is best to extract it, so the new implant can be fixed properly.
3. Jawbone preparation and grafting: this is an optional step, only required if your bone density isn’t enough to withhold the dental screw.
4. Dental screw/implant placement: your oral surgeon will cut open your gum till he reaches the bones, where he creates a few holes to allow the dental implant post to be placed, it has to go really deep into the bone so it can act as true replacement for the whole tooth. This titanium screw like structure is well fitted into your jawbones. Its length, diameter and type depend on its location and what type of tooth is it replacing.
5. Bone healing (osseointegration): this step may take weeks or months, depending on your healing time. it is an essential step because it is the reason why implants are secure in place, never slip, never produce a sound like dentures and it avoids most complications.
6. Healing time: during the time your bone is healing, you will have gap between your tooth, you can ask for a temporary denture to maintain your appearance.
7. Abutment placement: after osseointegration is complete, in another outpatient session, a small metallic part (abutment) needs to be added to the top of the metal post, it is essential for the crown (artificial tooth) to mount on later. The gum tissue is allowed to close/heal around it not over the abutment.
8. Crown mounting: after your gums heal (at least 2 weeks after), your dentist will make an impression off your remaining teeth. This impression is made to measure up and create your crown-the artificial tooth that will replace your missing tooth- to be as realistic as possible and mimic the function of this missing tooth. You can have it fixed or removable.

What to expect after the dental implant procedure?

At first, you can expect few discomforts like pain at implant location, bruising, swelling of your gums, face and cheek. Minor bleeding is not uncommon.

Pain killers and antibiotics are important after the procedure to avoid pain and complications.

It is better to eat soft food till your doctor clears you for your favorite food and till the stitches self-absorb or your doctor removes them.

What are the disadvantages of dental implants?

Dental implants are one of the safest dental procedures ever, and apart from the expected complications of any surgery (bleeding, infection and pain) it is almost risk-free.

But that doesn’t mean it has no disadvantages, in fact not all patients rush to the dental implant option due to the following reasons:

1. It is expensive: if you are replacing more than one tooth, it is costly to resort to dental implants as your first choice. Especially that it is not covered by medical insurance.
2. Time consuming: implants are not a quick solution for your problems. In fact, it takes more time than another procedure!
3. Bone loss: if you already have bone loss and require bone grafting, or you have recurrent periodontal diseases, then bone loss is still a risk with or without dental implant!

But apart from time, money and risk of bone loss, dental implants is the best, safest, natural-looking options for tooth replacement ever!

Magrabi’s advice

If you have one or more missing teeth, the dental implant is now your go-to solution. It is reliable, promising, hassle-free and looks and functions exactly like the missing tooth! All you need is to book an appointment with our professionals and have your smile, confidence, and teeth function all back safely!