Addressing These Factors Helps Ensure a Satisfying Experience With Implants
Patients and dentists alike love dental implants. For one, they’re unique among other dental restorations because they replace the tooth root as well as the visible crown. It’s actually their role as a root replacement that makes them so durable and lifelike.
But it still falls to the dentist to create as natural an appearance as possible through proper implant placement. It requires extensive technical skill and artistry to surgically place an implant in the precise location inside the jawbone to gain the best outcome. It’s even more critical when the tooth is a highly visible one within the “smile zone”—the teeth others see when we smile.
With a patient’s smile appearance on the line, it’s important that we carefully consider a number of factors that can impact implant success and address them as needed in our treatment plan.
The gums. The gums are to the teeth as a frame is to a masterpiece painting. If the gums don’t correctly cover the new implant, the final outcome won’t look natural. Positioning the implant precisely helps ensure the gums look attractive. It may also be necessary to augment the gums, such as grafting surgery to encourage growth of lost gum tissue, to achieve the most lifelike result.
The socket. For simple extractions (as opposed to surgical removals), a dentist deftly manipulates the ligament holding the tooth in place to loosen and remove it. It’s important to do this carefully—if the tooth’s bony socket becomes damaged in the process (or because of other trauma), it can complicate implant placement in the future.
The supporting bone. Likewise, the bone in which the implant is imbedded must be reasonably healthy and of adequate volume. Besides not providing enough support, inadequate bone also makes it difficult to place an implant for the most attractive result. Bone grafting at the time of extraction minimizes bone shrinkage. If bone shrinkage had occurred, the Inadequate bone may require grafting, particularly if there is a lag time between extraction and implantation. In extreme cases, though, a patient may need to choose a different restoration.
The usual process for implants—planning, surgical placement and the healing period after surgery—can take time. Paying attention to these and other factors will help ensure that time and the effort put into this process has a satisfying outcome—an attractive, natural and long lasting smile.
If you would like more information on dental implants, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Immediate Dental Implants.”
