What are Dental Implants?

Note from Blogger, P Vyasamoorthy

Older People suffer more often than youngsters with respect to teeth problems. They lose teeth as a natural process. Teeth with caries is removed to avoid further infection and complications. Another reason why dental problems increase among the elderly, applying my queer logic is: Market grows keeping pace with dentists' population and affordability of patients. Decades ago there were just one or dentist sparsely located.  Here is an informative and authentic write-up on dental implants from my colleague.

What are dental implants?

By Dr Surender Varma – Guest contributor

Here is what I would like to share based on my interactions with four implantologists and my internet research on implantology. Three implants were drilled into my lower jaw and it took four months of treatment before crowns were placed on the implants to give me three artificial molars.

1. Dental implants are artificial teeth that serve as replacement for missing tooth or teeth. They are drilled into the jaw and the patient waits for 3-4 months or more until they fully integrate with the jaw bone.

2. There are two kinds of implant: single-piece and two-piece implants

Single-piece implants: These implants were introduced into the market in 2011. They are made of Zirconia, which the researchers claim integrates with the jaw bone. But there is no solid evidence based on long-term trials or about their durability. The implantologists I met claimed that they would load crowns on the implants on the third day. This may or may not be true because the speed of healing depends on many factors. The price of these implants is very attractive, about less than half of conventional implants. My conclusion was that single-piece implants might work well in place of those teeth which are not subjected to the heavy duty of chewing, but certainly not in place of grinding teeth.

Two-piece implants: These are conventional, time-tested implants made of Titanium, which integrates with the jaw bone very well. These implants are strong and durable and ideal to be used in place of grinding teeth. The lower piece of the implant is drilled down into the jaw bone and the patient is asked to wait for 2-3 months, or more, for the implant to fully integrate with the jaw one.  It then functions as an artificial root of the tooth on which the implantologist screws the second piece called an abutment and puts a crown on it.  Two-piece implants are much more expensive than one-piece ones.

Implants made in the U.S., Switzerland, Germany and Korea are available in India. 

The huge difference in price quoted by different implantologists is because of their surgery charges. The more experienced ones charge more. 

Please verify that your doctor is a professionally qualified and experienced implantology, not just a dentist practicing implantology. Implantology is a highly specialized branch of dentistry.

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