A. Placing dental
implants
is a surgical procedure, so there is definitely some mild discomfort after the surgical phase.
After the initial healing phase passes, there is nothing to be fearful of in so far as pain is concerned.
Q. Do dental implants look and feel natural?
A. Dental
implants can be made to look great. Patients with dental implants report that biting and chewing feel perfectly
natural.
Q. How long does it take to get implants?
A. Placing an
implant
requires one surgical visit and several follow up visits to check the healing and remove the sutures.
The purpose of the dental implant(s) is to replace missing teeth, so in addition to the surgical placement of the implants,
the patient must wait 3 to 6 months while the bone heals and then another month or two for the final dental
bridgework
.
Q. Can you be too old for dental implants?
A. You cannot be too old for dental
implants. The issue is your health. As long as the patient is a candidate for elective
surgery, they can have
dental implants. A patient with medical conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes, heart disease,
severe hypertension etc., would not be an appropriate candidate for dental implants.
Q. Can you be too young for dental implants?
A. Usually dental
implants are done for patients whose jaw bones are fully formed, so that would be late teenage years.
Q. Are there any medical conditions why a person couldn't have dental implants?
A. Medical conditions that would preclude the placement of dental
implants
would include people with problems healing,
such as people with AIDS and people who are not candidates for elective surgery, such as people who have
uncontrolled diabetes, severe high blood pressure or heart disease.
Q. Can dental implants replace a single tooth?
A. Dental
implants
are a good way to replace a single missing tooth as long as the adjacent teeth are in good health and
good alignment.
Q. Can dental implants replace many teeth at the same time?
A. Dental
implants
are often used to replace several missing teeth when there aren't sufficient teeth for fixed or
non-
removable bridgework. In that case, one implant is generally placed for each missing tooth to be replaced.
Q. If you already have removable bridge work or dentures, could they be replaced by dental implants.
A. Many patients who get dental
implants
do so because they are uncomfortable with the old removable bridgework
that they had.Q. Why would I get a dental implant compared to a fixed bridge to replace a missing tooth?
A. Placing dental
implants
and then putting a cap on it is a great way to replace a missing tooth if you do not want to
put caps on the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth, or if there aren't enough strong teeth to support a fixed
bridge
near
the missing tooth. This is especially true if the adjacent teeth are perfectly healthy, straight, decay free-teeth and the
patient would rather avoid capping them.
Q. Are there any disadvantages to a dental implant compared to a more traditional fixed bridge?
A. The disadvantage of the
implant
is that two surgical procedures need to be done to place the implant and then place
the supporting post in the implant so that a cap
can be placed to replace the missing tooth. This takes several months.
And the cost for a dental implant, plus the post and crown, is greater than a conventional fixed
bridge. If the
patient has
perfectly good teeth adjacent to the missing tooth, the benefits of not having to cap those teeth may be worth the extra
time and expense.
Q. Are there cases when an implant is not the best way to replace a missing tooth?
A. If the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth are crooked, decayed or already have big leaking
fillings, and
need to be
capped anyway, it makes no sense to go through the time and expense of a dental
implant
and then have to cap the
adjacent teeth anyway. Also, if there is not an adequate amount of jaw bone to hold the dental implant, bone grafting
procedures may need to be done and the patient would need to evaluate the benefits of the implant approach versus the
time and expense of the implants and bone graft.
Q. Do implants always look as good as other tooth replacement methods?
A. There are times when dental conditions such as bone loss or gum recession may allow a dentist to use a dental
implant
to adequately replace a missing tooth but not restore the normal shape and contour of the gum tissue. In the
back of the mouth, where it doesn't show, this may not matter. In the front of the mouth, it could result in a chewing
success but an appearance failure. That is one reason why dental implants, as great as they are, are not a panacea for
the replacement of all missing teeth.
