Oral & Dental Implants Rehabilitation

A  dental implant (also known as an  endosseous implant or  fixture) is a surgical component that interfaces with the bone of the jaw or skull to support a  dental prosthesis such as a  crown,  bridge,  denture, facial prosthesis or to act as an  orthodontic anchor. The basis for modern dental implants is a biologic process called  osseointegration, in which materials such as  titanium form an intimate bond to bone. The implant fixture is first placed so that it is likely to osseointegrate, then a dental prosthetic is added. A variable amount of healing time is required for osseointegration before either the dental prosthetic (a tooth, bridge or denture) is attached to the implant or an  abutment is placed which will hold a dental prosthetic/crown.

Success or failure of implants depends on the health of the person receiving the treatment, drugs which affect the chances of osseointegration, and the health of the tissues in the mouth. The amount of  stress that will be put on the implant and fixture during normal function is also evaluated. Planning the position and number of implants is key to the long-term health of the prosthetic since  biomechanical forces created during  chewing can be significant. The position of implants is determined by the position and angle of adjacent teeth, by lab simulations or by using  computed tomography with  CAD/CAM simulations and surgical guides called  stents. The prerequisites for long-term success of osseointegrated dental implants are healthy  bone and  gingiva. Since both can  atrophy after  tooth extraction, pre-prosthetic procedures such as  sinus lifts or  gingival grafts are sometimes required to recreate ideal bone and gingiva.

The final prosthetic can be either fixed, where a person cannot remove the denture or teeth from their mouth, or removable, where they can remove the prosthetic. In each case an abutment is attached to the implant fixture. Where the prosthetic is fixed, the crown, bridge or denture is fixed to the abutment either with  lag screws or with  dental cement. Where the prosthetic is removable, a corresponding adapter is placed in the prosthetic so that the two pieces can be secured together.

The risks and complications related to implant therapy divide into those that occur during surgery (such as excessive bleeding or nerve injury), those that occur in the first six months (such as infection and failure to osseointegrate) and those that occur long-term (such as  peri-implantitis and mechanical failures). In the presence of healthy tissues, a well-integrated implant with appropriate biomechanical loads can have 5-year plus survival rates from 93 to 98 percent and 10 to 15 year life spans for the prosthetic teeth.Long-term studies show a 16- to 20-year success (implants surviving without complications or revisions) between 52% and 76%, with complications occurring up to 48% of the time.

Source Wikipedia