The dental implant in and of itself represents an artificial tooth root. It is anchored in the jawbone in a surgical procedure and is subsequently used as the basis for further dental prostheses.
What is a dental implant?
If a tooth or several teeth are damaged by an accident, caries or simply wear and tear to such an extent that removal of the tooth or teeth is unavoidable, a dental implant is used. The implant itself is first of all only an artificial tooth root. Depending on the situation, a crown, bridge or denture can be used as a supplement. The decision to use one or the other depends on the individual damage. Instead of a gap in your smile, an implantation also ensures that the position of your teeth is preserved and prevents subsequent damage.
Requirements
Before an implant can be placed, the following procedures must be completed. Teeth must be completely removed, inflammations must be healed, and finally, there must be enough bone in the jaw to accommodate the implant - if this is not the case, the jawbone is stimulated to grow separately and brought to the appropriate strength. Finally, before the operation can take place, a plan is drawn up based on a computer-aided 3D model with regard to the expected healing process and costs.
The intervention
The operation begins with anesthesia. Whether local or general anesthesia is determined in advance and depends on both your wishes and the external circumstances. With the insertion of the effect - we assume in the following an implant for only one tooth - the gum is opened and thus the jawbone is exposed. After the site has been made out, spaces are created for the artificial tooth roots by means of several, larger drills, which are then screwed in. After about 15 minutes, the procedure is over and was completely painless due to the anesthesia. Only the vibration of the drill is noticeable. Afterwards, the wound is sutured in case of closed healing or directly fitted with a temporary denture via a pin in case of open healing. For optimal healing, it is essential to avoid smoking, drinking coffee and alcohol, and physical exertion. Normally, an antibiotic is prescribed. The healing process is supported by paying attention to good oral hygiene and disinfection rinsing. Several check-ups accompany the process of osseointegration, i.e., the time during which the jawbone and implant fuse.
The implant as the basis for dental prostheses
To build up a dental prosthesis, as already mentioned above, further steps are necessary, which in turn depend on the overall damage to be repaired. The implant abutment required in each case, more or less an intermediate piece, also called an abutment, which lies hidden, is made of ceramic or titanium. Where ceramic matches the color of the tooth and does not stand out darkly even below the gums, titanium is more durable and of longer life. About the visible prosthesis, the superstructure, you can find under the entry prosthetics here on our site.
