Dental implants – permanent solution for partial or complete tooth loss
Did you know that dental implants are the best permanent solution for tooth loss?
Before the invention of dental implants, the only prosthetic solution was a complete removable denture that many patients still struggle with today, as food gets trapped underneath. This solution turned out to be a quite unreliable one, because the denture often does not fit securely in place and may become loose, leading to embarrassing situations in front of others. Patients feel insecure while chewing, and long-term wear can cause irritation of the gums. Wearing a denture does not preserve the bone, whereas dental implants prevent further bone resorption.
Every missing tooth disrupts, to a greater or lesser extent, smile aesthetics as well as indispensable functions such as chewing, speaking. Dental implants and prosthetic restorations on them can simultaneously solve all these problems.
At the Miličić Dent Polyclinic, we create high-quality dental prosthetics in the most modern dental laboratory. Dental technicians fabricate crowns, bridges, dentures or dental veneers to replace missing teeth, ensure bite functionality and achieve satisfactory smile aesthetics.
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are titanium screws that are placed into the jawbone to replace a lost tooth root. They can support:
– individual dental crowns
– partial and/or full dental bridges.
Dental implants can replace the absence of:
– one tooth
– multiple teeth
– all teeth (All-on-4 i All-on-6 concepts).
To fully restore a tooth with a dental implant, 3 elements are required:
- titanium screw = implant, which is placed into the bone as a replacement for the tooth root
- abutment = superstructure, which is placed into the implant and replaces the stump of the previosly filed tooth
- dental crown/ dental bridge = prosthesis, which replaces the natural tooth crown.
Are dental implants safe for the patient’s health?
Dental implants are made of titanium, a biocompatible material that does not cause allergic reactions and is not rejected by a healthy organism. It has excellent bone integration capability (osseointegration). Lower-quality implants can cause allergic reactions and health issues for patients who are allergic to metals or their alloys, especially nickel.
At Miličić Dent Clinic, we exclusively use premium brands of dental implants Nobel Biocare and Sweden&Martina. All implants are made of purified and certified titanium, and have a lifetime manufacturer’s warranty. Due to their exceptional characteristics, they have the highest success rate for implant procedures.
Nobel Biocare dental implants have been on the market for over 40 years. They are a leading global implant brand with the largest number of clinical cases and research. The implants are manufactured using the most advanced methods.
Thanks to their high-quality fabrication and the purity of titanium, these dental implants have a success rate of 97.9%, whether they are placed individually or as part of the All-on-4 and All-on-6 concepts.
Advantages of dental implants
- they provide a completely natural teeth appearance
- they enable prosthetic restoration to function as if they were natural teeth.
- they provide better load distribution to the bone and the entire chewing system.
- they slow down the process of bone loss and gum recession.
- they can last a lifetime with regular oral hygiene, check-ups, and overall healthy patient
- no special protocol is required for oral hygiene maintenance; patients can continue with their usual brushing routine -a toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss are sufficient.
- fast recovery and return to everyday life.
How to determine if you are a candidate for dental implants?
Dental implants can be placed in adult patients because at this age the jawbone no longer grows, assuming they have sufficiently stable bone structure.
Certain health conditions and diseases, smoking, significant or complete bone loss, and extremely poor bone structure can be obstacles to implant placement.
One of the decisive factors for implant placement is the quantity and quality of the jawbone. The quality and stability of the bone can be determined during the examination based on a 3D CBCT scan, which provides insight into all three dimensions of the bone:
- height
- width
- density.
Based on that, our oral surgery specialist, Dr. Marko Miličić, assesses whether a patient is a candidate for implants or not. During the consultations, in conversation with the patient, he learns about the patient’s lifestyle habits. Smokers are advised to quit smoking. Why? Because tobacco smoke entering the wound and elevated temperatures in the oral cavity slow down tissue healing after implant surgery.
In cases where there is insufficient bone, two procedures are performed:
- bone augmentation – a bone replacement procedure which replaces the bone with autogenous bone tissue or artificial bone.
In certain cases, the procedure can bed one during the implant placement, while in some other cases, augmentation is performed first, and only after the new bone has healed and integrated, can the implant be placed.
- sinus lifting procedure (sinus lift) – lifting of the lowered sinus floor, which can sometimes be performed simultaneously with the implant placement, or the implant can be placed after the bone has been regenerated.
In such patients, the implant cannot be loaded on the same day. These patients, like patients with infections, have to wait 3-6 months for the implants to firmly integrate with the bone.
There is always solution… #milicicdent
What is the cost of a dental implant?
The cost depends on the type of dental implant. There are many types of implants available today. Based on the quality of manufacturing, strength, and degree of material purification, they can be divided into three main groups:
- low-cost implants – implants with the lowest price due to poor quality and manufacturing, without warranty, without certification, and no guarantee that replacement parts will be available in a few years.
- medium implants – implants of medium quality and relatively affordable prices.
- premium implants – certified dental implants of the highest quality with a lifetime warranty and higher price range.
Premium dental implants at Miličić Dent Polyclinic
At Miličić Dent Polylinic, we have chosen to exclusively use premium implants because we want to provide our patients with the best quality and service.
The following brands belong to the premium implant group: Nobel Biocare, Straumann, Astra Tech, Sweden&Martina, etc.
Nobel Biocare represents the leading implant brand worldwide. These implants provide early loading of the implant due to their precisely processed external implant surface, achieved through laser treatment, etching, or the addition of admixtures. The new technology in premium implants enables almost immediate loading, right after their placement, allowing the immediate placement of temporary teeth.
Premium implants are made of purified titanium and do not cause allergic reactions as they do not contain allergenic metals.
In lower-quality implants, there can be a small movement at the implant-prosthetic connection during the redistribution of bite forces while chewing, which can lead to bone resorption around the implant. The connection remains strong and precise with premium implants, eliminating the concern of bone resorption.
Did you know that premium implants are produced by companies with over 50 years of experience? They are certified to guarantee the quality of implant manufacturing and the availability of all prosthetic components for a specific implant brand for up to 100 years. Nobel Biocare provides hundreds of prosthetic components at all possible angles, made of zirconia or titanium.
Immediate implant loading allows the patient to receive a fixed tooth or bridge immediately
When we determine that the implanted implant has good primary stability, we perform immediate implant loading. This involves immediate loading of the implant with a suprastructure and prosthesis (crown or bridge), which offers several advantages:
- new bone formation around the implant occurs much faster.
- the patient receives a fixed tooth or teeth immediately.
If the patient does not have enough bone or there is a bone defect, immediate implant loading is not an option. In that case, the implanted implant is covered and left for 3-6 months to integrate with the bone. After that period, the implant is reopened, and the suprastructure and prosthesis are placed.
Implant placement protocol
Implant-prosthetic therapy is carried out in 2 phases:
FIRST PHASE
DIAGNOSTICS
- Examination at the dental clinic.
- CBCT scan imaging.
- Dr. Miličić assesses the bone condition based on the images.
- Dr. Miličić plans the therapy and informs the patient about the situation and optimal treatment.
IMPLANT PLACEMENT
- If there is a tooth at the intended implantation position, it is extracted on the same day just before the implantation.
- Implant placement involves drilling into the bone and implanting one or more titanium screws, depending on the patient’s situation.
OSSEOINTEGRATION
If we determine that the implant has the necessary primary stability after placement, we can immediately place a temporary abutment and temporary crowns or bridges on it.
The period for the implant to fuse with the surrounding bone lasts 3-6 months.
SECOND PHASE
Fabrication of the definitive prosthesis
- Opening the implants.
- Contouring the gum tissue around the implants to accommodate individual crowns or bridges.
- Once the gum tissue heals after 2-3 weeks, we place the abutments on the implants.
- Taking impressions of the teeth.
- Teeth placement trial.
- Aesthetic trial to determine the color, shape, and size of the teeth.
- Fabrication of the prosthesis in the dental laboratory.
- Defining the cement-retained or screw-retained prothesis: ceramic crowns, dentures, or bridges.
What should be carefully observed after implant placement?
On the first and second day, the area where the implant is placed should be cooled with ice, and if the oral surgery specialist deems it necessary, the patient should take antibiotics. Avoiding hard and hot foods is recommended during this time. Instead, opt for softer, pureed, and cooler foods. If nonabsorbable sutures are used (stitches that do not dissolve on their own), they will be removed during a follow-up appointment after 7 days.
The most significant reason for unsuccessful osseointegration or subsequent implant rejection is peri-implantitis – inflammation of the gum and surrounding tissues around the implant caused by oral bacteria from plaque and tartar. Therefore, regular and proper oral hygiene should be imperative for patients with implants.
In very rare cases, certain health conditions (specific diseases) can lead to implant rejection.
What to do in the mentioned cases?
In such cases, we treat the inflammatory process with antibiotics. If the treatment does not yield favorable results, unfortunately, we have to remove the implant and place a new one once we determine that the inflammation has subsided.
For implant placement, it is essential to trust certified implantologists or oral surgeons who are well acquainted with the anatomy of the oral cavity.
