Frequently
Asked Questions
1. What
are dental implants?
2. Does
dental implants work?
3. What
are the dental implants advantages?
4. Who is
a candidate for dental implants?
5. What
are the types of dental implants; do they have the same success rate?
6. How expensive
is dental implants?
7. How much
time is involved to complete the treatment?
8. Is dental
implant surgery painful?
9. How long
will I be off work?
10. How
long do I have to be without teeth?
11. Am
I to old to receive dental implants?
12.
Instructions Prior to Implants
13.
After Implant Surgery
1. What
are dental implants?
Implants are teeth replacement.
The new designs have a shape that resembles the root of the missing tooth. Implants
are made from titanium and they will be inserted into the upper or the lower
jaw. They can replace one or multiple teeth; they can improve the retention
and stability of removable denture and support a complete fixed bridge.
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2. Does
dental implants work?
Different research and long
term follow up studies showed a cumulative success rate of 90% over 15 years.
There are multiple factors that contribute to implant success:
- 1- Patient health
- 2- Proper diagnosis and
adequate treatment planning
- 3- Quality and quantity
of the remaining bone
- 4- Adequate oral hygiene
- 5- Type of implants
- 6- Proper follow-up
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3. What
are the dental implants advantages?
- 1- Restore esthetics,
function, mastication and phonetics
- 2- Preserve the remaining
bone from further resorbtion
- 3- Simplify the final
restoration
- 4- Avoid grinding the
adjacent teeth
- 5- Provide an alternative
treatment for removable dentures
- 6- Increase the retention
and stability of removable dentures
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4. Who
is a candidate for dental implants?
All patients with missing
teeth are candidate for implant placements. Any patients with a non-controlled
systemic disease such as diabetes and immune conditions may have lower success
rate. Patients with life threatening condition are poor candidate for dental
implants. Heavy smoker patients are in higher risk for implant failure.
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5. What
are the types of dental implants; do they have the same success rate?
Thirty years ago, there
were three major dental implants companies in the world. Today, there are more
than 200 companies worldwide. Implants differs in many way
- 1- Shape: screw, cylinder,
blade, anatomical, and tapered
- 2- Width: from 3 mm to
6mm
- 3- Length: from 5mm to
20mm
- 4- Materials: titanium,
titanium alloy, and ceramics
- 5- Surface texture: smooth,
rough, coated, and hybrid design
- 6- Type of titanium:
Grade I, 2, 3, and 4 7- Implant and prosthetic interface: internal or external
hex, wedged, spline or regular hex
Not all dental implants
have the same performance. Some have a good short-term success rate (90%) that
drops after several years in service (75%), and some have a steady 90% throughout
the life of the implant. Patients need to know about the type of implants that
will be used in their mouth.
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6. How
expensive is dental implants?
The cost of dental implants
is divided into the following four categories
- 1- Pre-treatment fee:
This will include the complex oral evaluation, models, diagnostic wax-up,
and surgical guide
- 2- Surgical fee: this
will include the placement of implants in the bone and the additional adjunctive
surgeries such as bone or soft tissue grafts.
- 3- Restorative fee: this
will include the cost of he final restoration
- 4- Maintenance fee: this
will include the yearly hygiene follow-up and check-up The complete cost of
the treatment can vary. This will depend on the type of the final needed prostheses
(fixed, removable, ceramic-metal or acrylic), the number of implants, the
complexity of the treatment, extensive bone loss with the need of bone grafting,
and esthetic challenge.
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7. How
much time is involved to complete the treatment?
The treatment length can
change with the complexity of the treatment. Usually it takes anywhere from
6-12 months. It is divided as follow
- 1- A 3-6 months for bone
healing after implant placement is needed
- 2- Three weeks after
second stage surgery to assure proper soft tissue healing
- 3- The restorative phase
may need 2-4 months
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8. Is
dental implant surgery painful?
As in any dental surgical
procedure, there can be some pain. However, anesthetics and pre-surgical pain
medication eliminate discomfort during the actual surgery. Post-surgical pain
will be mild and well controlled with the proper pain medication.
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9. How
long will I be off work?
Generally, we recommend
the day of the surgery, plus the following day or two for recovery. You can
expect to have some swelling, pain, possibly some bruising, but at no time will
you be without teeth. The time taken off from work is really an individual decision.
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10.
How long do I have to be without teeth?
No time. We know how important
to have teeth at all time. You will fabricate a temporary fixed bridge or removable
prosthesis and we will deliver it at the day of surgery if not before. Some
time, we utilized very innovative procedures to give our patient a fixed temporary
bridge supported by temporary implants at the day of surgery.
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11.
Am I to old to receive dental implants?
Age is not a factor. Multiple
studies showed similar success rate in people above 70. Patients with implants
supported dentures showed excellent improvements in their masticatory function.
But, you may be to young to receive an implant especially during active growth.
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12. Instructions Prior
to Implants
- Do not take Aspirin or
any products containing Aspirin 7 days prior to surgery
- Do not drink alcoholic
beverages for 1 days prior to surgery
- Do not drink caffeinated
beverages for the day of surgery
- Do not wear make-up (foundation
or lipstick)
- Do wear comfortable,
loose-fitting clothing
- Do eat a meal before
arriving at the clinic
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13. Instructions
to Patients after Implant Surgery
- Do use ice on your face
(20 minutes on / 10 minutes off) for a total of 48 hours.
- Do drink ice water or
ice chips in your mouth for the first 24 hours.
- Do eat soft foods for
1 week (chewing away from surgical area)
- Do sleep with head elevated
for two nights following surgery.
- Do not brush the area
of surgery for 1 week or until instructed to do so.
- Do rinse with water after
each meal to cleanse the surgical wound.
- Do not drink hot liquids
for 24 hours following surgery. (hot coffee/ hot tea / hot soup)
- Do not smoke for two
weeks following surgery
- Do not drink alcohol
for one week following surgery.
- Do not use tooth paste
until sutures are removed
- Do not exercise for three
days following surgery (aerobic activity)
- Do not wear removable
dentures until specified (wearing dentures too early will jeopardize healing)
Bleeding
- You may see some bleeding
following the surgery. If this occurs, it may be stopped by gently biting
in a gauze soaked in cold water and wrung damp. If the bleeding is not controlled
by this method, please contact the clinic.
Swelling
- Cold pack for 1st 48
hours
- If swelling is going
to occur, it will peak 48-72 hours following the surgery.
- If you are swollen after
the first 48 hours heat may be used on the area.
- A moist heated towel
or a hot water bottle may be used in the area of swelling after 48 hours.
- In some cases bruising,
or restricted jaw movement may occur. Heat after the first 48 hours will help
reduce these symptoms.
Sutures
- Sutures will be present
in your mouth following the surgery.
- Avoid the area of these
sutures.
- These will be removed
in approximately 7-14 days following the surgery.
Medications
- In some cases medications
will be prescribed.
- Mouthwash (Chlorhexidine)
should be used twice a day for 30 seconds, after breakfast and before bedtime.
- Use prescribed medications
as directed.
- If you have mild discomfort
take non-prescription medications that do not contain aspirin, such as Tylenol
or Advil.
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