When can Dental Implants be used?
Dental implants can be used to help many patients. There are few restrictions or contraindications.
In general implants are not placed in children or teenagers who are typically still growing.
A denture or simple bridge may be used to maintain a space created by loss of a tooth or teeth as the result of an accident or for orthodontic reasons. When the patient has reached adulthood implants may be placed.
Too early placement may result in continuing growth of bone around the implant giving the impression that it is submerging.
There are no contraindications to implant placement in elderly patients for whom placement of two implants to support a denture may prove a considerable benefit in eating.
Patients with a medical history should always consult their clinician prior to considering implant treatment although again there are relatively few contraindications.
One of the most important factors is having sufficient bone of the right quality and quantity in the appropriate part of the mouth to support implants. Patients with insufficient bone may still be treated with grafts but this can result in more expense, time and relative discomfort.
Implant Crowns
A crown supported by an implant is the simplest form of treatment. The implant commonly replaces a tooth that has been lost by trauma, decay or fracture.
A dental implant usually comprises three parts; the implant fixture (the part embedded in bone), the abutment which crosses the soft tissue (gum) and which connects to the crown. Most commonly a single implant is used to restore a single crown.
Implant Bridge
A dental bridge is used when the teeth on either side of one or more missing teeth are crowned and the crowns linked to each other via another crown called a pontic.
This is a cost effective way of replacing missing teeth and before implants was the only way of providing a fixed replacement for missing teeth. An implant bridge uses implants instead of natural teeth to support a bridge spanning missing teeth.
Careful design is important and your specialist will be able to advise but it may be possible to have an entire arch of bridgework supported by four implants. Implant bridges may be cemented on to abutments making them permanent and difficult to remove without damage to the bridge or retained by small screws that the clinician may remove.
Implant Denture
In simple terms a bridge only replaces the crowns of the teeth. When teeth are lost the gum and bone will recede (shrink back) over time as it is no longer needed to support teeth.
In order to replace missing teeth with bone loss, a prosthesis is needed which also has a proportion of artificial gums usually made of pink acrylic or porcelain. Implant based dentures can be made.
These may be held in by press-stud type or bar attachments making them removable for cleaning. Alternatively small hidden screws may fix the denture in place. These can be readily removed by a clinician for cleaning and maintenance.
Why Choose Neoss?
Neoss is a worldwide manufacturer of dental implants. Its key success factors are quality service and innovation.
The company has grown rapidly over the last 10 years having subsidiaries in 8 countries and distributors in a further six.
The Neoss implant system was designed by clinicians and scientists to enable dentists to treat their patients in the most simple ways and with the most successful clinical outcome.
Neoss clinicians can be assured of a product with the highest reliability and quality whilst employing the very latest in technology.
