Dental implantation is the replacement of the root of an extracted tooth with a biocompatible metal rod that fuses with living bone tissue. The upper part of the implant is replaced with a crown or bridge, providing aesthetics and functionality. Some people refuse surgery, dooming themselves to discomfort and low functionality of using removable dentures.
Lyubov Alexandrovna, Podolsk
“Dentalroott” is the third clinic where I went with the desire to restore my teeth. In the first one, in Podolsk, I was denied due to diabetes (albeit in the compensated stage). In the second, already in Moscow, they announced a astronomical price for 4 implants, a bunch of additional procedures plus for bone grafting, and without this, they say, there’s no way. Okay, I didn't stop there. Dr. Voznyuk, whom I went to for a consultation at Ruth’s clinic, carefully studied the photographs, medical history and said that it was possible to install implants directly, without replanting - but special, basal ones. When I found out that they would be fitted with prosthetics right away, I was generally happy. I now have four new teeth in the top row. They settled in normally, and I am very pleased with the temporary dentures - they allow me to smile beautifully and bite comfortably. Thanks to the clinic and Vladimir Alexandrovich personally!”
Why doesn’t everyone who wants to have their teeth restored see an implantologist? What stops people and forces them to look for alternative (often less effective) solutions?
Answer: myths and lack of awareness.
Naturally, the installation of implants is a surgical operation. And as with any surgical intervention, complications may arise, both through the fault of the doctor and the fault of the patient. But can you imagine that a person will not allow an inflamed appendix to be cut out, or a woman will refuse a cesarean section because she is afraid of the operation? Hardly. But some people refuse implantation, dooming themselves to discomfort and low functionality of using removable dentures.
Let's look at the misconceptions that prevent you from venturing into implantation.
Implant service life
We have dealt with the service life of prostheses, now we will consider the factors on which the useful service life of implants depends. Are installed implants really capable of lasting a lifetime? Yes, this is true, but subject to a number of conditions:
- The installation of implants is carried out strictly according to the protocol, by an experienced implantologist and after careful preparation for the operation;
- The prosthesis on the implant is installed correctly and manufactured with accurate calculation of the load;
- The operation used implants from trusted manufacturers that have high quality and all the necessary performance characteristics;
- The patient strictly follows all the doctor’s recommendations for caring for the teeth and oral cavity, not only after the operation, but also after the prosthetic stage.
IMPORTANT: You should know that if implant rejection occurs immediately after its installation and within a year after the operation, then the cause of such a complication in 90% of cases is medical errors. If implant rejection begins after 2-3 years or later, this is the patient’s fault due to the lack of high-quality oral hygiene.
Pro #2: Better functionality and durability
This advantage is a direct consequence of the previous advantage. Installing an implant allows you to restore the functionality of the dental unit to 100%. This applies to both single and complex implantation, when the patient is given a bridge or complete prosthesis supported by implants. Note that the stability of the structure and the quality of distribution of the chewing load largely depend on the number of implanted implants and the material of the prosthesis, but in general, implantation is the key to functionality. According to statistics, the survival rate of modern implants exceeds 97%. Moreover, if the procedure was carried out efficiently, and the patient subsequently complied with all the doctor’s instructions, the implant may well serve the owner for his entire life. Are there alternatives to implantation? Of course, however, alternative methods have significant disadvantages.
- Removable plate (clasp, covering) prosthesis.
Most experts will confirm that removable dentures (without implant support) are hardly capable of restoring even 50% of chewing function. You can eat more or less normally with them, but there are quite a lot of inconveniences, especially if we are talking about a complete removable denture, which theoretically could fall out at the most inopportune moment. - Classic fixed prosthetics.
We are talking about a fixed bridge prosthesis, which can become an alternative to implantation when it is necessary to restore a fragment of the dentition (1-3 lost teeth in a row). This option provides good functionality, but the prosthesis is placed on abutment teeth, which need to be ground down and depulped, even if they are absolutely healthy. Over time, the supporting teeth may begin to decay: in this case, the prosthesis completely loses its functionality, and the patient returns to the same problem, but on a larger scale.
So which is better? Implantation or prosthetics?
It is wrong to answer this question remotely. It may happen that you have absolute contraindications for implantation, which you do not know about and which can be identified during diagnostics, which are always carried out in a clinic. Therefore, in order to make a choice between prosthetics and implantation, you must consult two specialists at once - an orthopedist and an implantologist.
If you are thinking about restoring your teeth with implantation or prosthetics and don’t know which technology will be better in your case, make an appointment with the specialists of our clinic in Moscow - “Aesthetica”! One of the main principles of our work is honesty with patients. We recommend only those dental restoration technologies that are fully capable of solving the patient’s problem and at the same time are absolutely safe for his health!
What are the contraindications to the procedure?
Not every patient can have dental implants, due to a number of contraindications.
Contraindications to implantation:
- diabetes mellitus type II;
- cardiovascular pathologies;
- AIDS, HIV;
- hepatitis;
- open tuberculosis;
- bruxism;
- malocclusion;
- inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity;
- poor blood clotting;
- low immunity;
- mental illness;
- oncology;
- venereal diseases;
- allergic reactions.
Implantation is not performed during pregnancy, lactation, during exacerbation of chronic diseases, or in patients under 20 years of age.
Advantages of restoring lost teeth with implantation
The benefits of dental implant restoration include:
1. Long useful life of implants. Many implant system manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty on their product.
2. Installation of implants allows you to obtain an aesthetic result of restoration - artificial teeth on implants cannot be visually distinguished from natural ones. In addition, after implantation, the correct chewing load is completely restored, side effects such as impaired diction, discomfort when chewing food do not occur, and the jaw bone tissue does not atrophy.
3. During implantation, there is no need to grind and depulp healthy teeth. In addition, during implantation, the chewing load will fall on the artificial root, and not on the adjacent teeth, which is important for maintaining their health.
4. Implantation is universal; it will allow you to restore any number of teeth.
5. Even if the prosthesis installed on the implant is damaged, the implant itself will not have to be removed to replace it. They will simply make you a new orthopedic structure, which will be placed on an artificial root.
But implantation also has certain disadvantages that are important to consider. The disadvantages of dental implantation include:
1. Quite a wide range of contraindications.
2. High price. Implantation is more expensive than prosthetics.
3. Implantation is a surgical intervention and therefore is more traumatic compared to prosthetics.
4. Long overall treatment periods. For example, with classic two-stage implantation, the total treatment period can be 8-12 months.
5. The need for bone grafting. This need does not always arise, only with severe bone atrophy in the area of implantation. It is impossible to install an implant into a thinned and lost bone so that it holds firmly, which is why an operation is performed to build up the bone tissue to the required parameters. This operation increases the treatment time and the cost of implantation.
However, despite some disadvantages, it is implantation that allows you to get the most durable and aesthetic result of dental restoration without causing harm to healthy teeth.
Will the implant need to be replaced some time after the surgery?
Typically, the need to replace implants arises only when any complications arise—an active inflammatory process in the area of implantation of the artificial root, or implant rejection. Failure of implants due to stress or for other reasons is an extremely rare occurrence and almost never occurs in the practice of implantologists.
When might complications arise that require implant replacement? The inflammatory process in the area of implantation of the artificial root can appear both immediately after the operation and 10, 15, 20 years after the operation. In the first case, the cause of complications is most often one: medical errors. You can reduce your risk of implant rejection due to medical errors by choosing the right clinic and implantologist. It is important that the clinic has all the necessary equipment to conduct high-quality diagnostics before dental implantation, and that your attending physician is a competent specialist in his field, having not only the necessary knowledge base, but also practical experience in dental implantation.
IMPORTANT: The advertisements of many clinics say that they have the best conditions for treatment and use the most modern equipment; the country's leading implantologists work. Check these advertising promises with a personal visit to the clinic, because often they remain just beautiful words. A good clinic should really have high-quality diagnostic equipment installed, it should have its own implantologist on staff, and not an invited specialist from outside, and naturally, the doctor’s qualifications should be documented!
If implant rejection occurs several years after their installation, the cause of the complication is the patient’s careless attitude towards his health and poor oral hygiene. Many people think that neither dentures nor dental implants require maintenance, since they are all artificial structures that cannot be destroyed by caries. Therefore, they do not brush their teeth regularly, do not undergo professional teeth cleaning at the dentist and preventive examinations in the clinic. But plaque accumulates not only on natural teeth, it will accumulate on the gums, and pathogenic bacteria will actively multiply on the surfaces of the dentures and in it. These bacteria can provoke the onset of an inflammatory process in the area where implants are installed - peri-implantitis and even rejection of the dental implant. Therefore, after implantation and prosthetics, you should never forget about careful and regular oral hygiene!
Also, the need to replace the implant may arise due to jaw injuries, which result in implant mobility. If you feel that the implant has begun to wobble and see that the gums in the area where it is installed are swollen and red, consult a doctor immediately.
Rehabilitation period
After installation of the artificial root, a rehabilitation period begins, which is quite painful for the patient.
Symptoms that occur during the rehabilitation period:
- severe pain in the oral cavity;
- swelling and hyperemia of the gums;
- bleeding from gum tissue;
- increase in body temperature.
If the outcome is favorable, all of the above symptoms disappear a few days after the procedure. If relief does not occur, the pain intensifies, purulent discharge or other unfavorable symptoms appear, the patient needs to urgently visit the attending physician, as these signs indicate the addition of a bacterial infection.
About guarantees for implants and implantation
We have already written above that the quality and effectiveness of implantation largely depend not so much on the type of implants, but on the professionalism of the doctor and proper preparation for implantation. A good clinic will provide guarantees for implantation, and these guarantees should not be confused with the manufacturer’s warranty obligations for dental implants.
The guarantee for implants is the manufacturer’s obligation to replace the structure at its own expense if it breaks. Failure of implants rarely occurs, because artificial roots are made using special technologies and from ultra-strong materials. That's why many brands offer a lifetime warranty on their systems.
The clinic’s guarantee for implantation is responsibility for the service provided and the obligation to re-implant if the implant is rejected due to the doctor’s fault. The warranty period for implantation services is 1-2 years.
You may ask why implants have a long warranty, but the labor warranty is so short? The reason is quite simple: practice and statistics show that implant rejection due to medical errors is a complication that manifests itself within 1-2 years after installation. If the rejection of the artificial root begins later than the designated period, then the patient and his irresponsible attitude towards his own health are to blame. The doctor cannot and should not be held responsible for the negligence of patients, so there is no point in making the guarantee for implantation longer.
Why is it important to undergo dental implantation in a clinic that provides guarantees for treatment?
The availability of a guarantee for the services provided is the first thing you should ask about when talking with the administrators of the dental clinic. If there is no such guarantee, it is best to refuse treatment in this particular dentistry, because according to statistics, in 90% of cases, implants are rejected not through the fault of the patients, but due to medical errors. Without a guarantee, you will not be able to count on free re-implantation and replacement of the implant, and moreover, you will not be able to prove your case in court.
Having a guarantee for implantation is the key to receiving a quality service. A clinic that values its reputation and the trust of its patients will definitely offer you a written agreement that will clearly and clearly state the warranty obligations.
Also, to be sure that you will receive quality service in a particular clinic, always find out:
Doctor's qualification level. His experience, knowledge, and practical skills must be documented - diplomas, certificates. Look for information about the specialist on the Internet; there are many sites on which patients write reviews about doctors; it is also worth reading the book of reviews and suggestions in the clinic itself. A very important point - the implantologist in the clinic should not be a visiting specialist! You must be sure that if any complications arise, you will see an implantologist immediately;
Level of equipment of the clinic. Implantation is a serious type of surgical intervention that requires careful preparation for the operation and its preliminary planning. Therefore, the clinic must have appropriate modern equipment for diagnostics and all necessary manipulations during surgery.
Choose several clinics and visit consultations with specialists in them. Ask all the questions about dental implantation that interest you and, first of all, ask whether there have been cases of implant rejection in the doctor’s practice and what actions he took when this problem arose in patients. Pay attention to how the doctor will react and answer your questions: an experienced implantologist who respects his patients will understand your desire to learn as much information as possible about the upcoming operation.
And finally, one more important tip. Many people want to get dental implants and choose a clinic based on the price of the service. This is wrong and even dangerous. Low prices for the service may indicate the use of low-quality Chinese implants, that the clinic employs inexperienced doctors, and such savings will be more than doubtful, because it is accompanied by high risks for your health!
