Implant Treatment
Dental Implants are small cylindrical and screw-like materials made of tissue-friendly titanium placed in the jawbone instead of missing teeth. The implants are placed in the jawbone by a small surgical procedure. After this procedure, it attaches completely to the jawbone in a short period of three months. After this attachment, the implant replaces a real tooth root and becomes ready to carry the prosthesis to be made on it.
Implants are also used to support crowns, bridges or prostheses.
In some cases, implants can be used for support the patients with total denture loss in order to allow them to use their prostheses more easily. Implants are generally more reliable and natural compared other methods used to complete missing teeth.
Can Implants be Applied to Every Patient?
If the patient has sufficient amount of bone for implant application and if the general systemic condition is appropriate, an implant can be applied to each patient who has completed growth development. In cases where the bone structure of our patient is not appropriate, this problem can be eliminated by using graft materials or advanced surgical techniques.
Do I Feel Pain During Implant Placement?
Our patients do not feel pain thanks to the local anesthetics applied before the implant operation. Many people think the procedure is very painful or difficult, but in reality, the implant operation is as simple as a tooth extraction, and placing an implant takes 20-30 minutes.
When Can Implants Be Applied After Tooth Extraction?
In appropriate cases, the implant can be applied in the same session with tooth extraction, 4-8 weeks after tooth extraction, after 12-16 weeks, and after 3 months following conventional lower jaw tooth extraction and after 6 months following upper jaw tooth extraction.
When Can I Have my Prostheses Done After Implantation?
Following the implant operation, prostheses can be made after the implant is bound to the bone. This duration is 3 months on average.
Is there an age limit in implant application?
Implants can be applied to all patients whose general health and bone structure are appropriate and who have completed their growth and development. In particular, the patient group with the most need for implants in terms of function are our elder patients using mobile prostheses.
How Should the Patients Perform Oral Care After Implant Operation?
After the implant operation, our patients need to pay more attention to oral care. It is recommended to use toothbrushes, interface brushes, dental floss and mouthwash.
We recommend our patients who smoke to stop smoking as it may cause problems in wound healing and oral care. We recommend that our patients come to check up at certain periods after the operation.
Postoperative Procedures and Things to Consider:
Antibiotics and painkillers should be used after the surgical procedure. You should not spit, use straw or smoke. These movements cause the healing to slow down as a result of the deterioration of the blood clot. Only soft foods should be consumed to prevent injury to gum tissues. The implant area should not be cleaned for one or two weeks. However, the teeth in other parts of the mouth should be brushed and the area should be kept as clean as possible by using the antibacterial mouthwash recommended by your dentist for the surgical site.
Sutures should be removed 7-10 days after the surgical procedure. If self-melting materials are used, there is no need to remove the sutures.
After the implant is placed in the jawbone, it is necessary to wait a few months for the implant to integrate into the bone.
The upper part of the implant is usually located under the gum. After waiting for a few months, the implant is removed by a simple procedure without the need for a second surgical procedure, and gingival shaping heads that will give the gingiva a natural form are attached. Prosthesis procedures can be started 2-3 days after the gingival shaper is placed.
What are the Criteria Affecting Success in Implant Treatment?
The chance of success in implant surgery is over 90%. If such implants fail, it occurs within the first year after this surgical procedure. After this period, the implant failure rate decreases to 1% every year. Conditions that will reduce the integration of the implant around the bone by preventing the flow of blood to the bone and gums such as trauma during surgery, infection around the implant and smoking may affect the chances of success of the implant.
Other criteria that will affect success;
- Experience and skill of the practitioner (surgeon),
- The quality of the implant applied,
- The patient’s bone quantity and quality,
- Oral care and systemic condition of the patient,
- Appropriate prostheses on the implant.