Dental implants are artificial tooth roots, typically made from titanium, that are surgically positioned into the jawbone beneath your gums. Once secured into your jaw, replacement teeth can be mounted onto them. Generally, candidates who seek dental implants are those who have lost a tooth or several teeth, perhaps to periodontal diseases, an injury or for some other reason.

How do dental implants work?

Once the dental implant is secured into the jaw bone, they provide stable support for artificial teeth. They allow for an individual tooth, several teeth, or an entire arch to then be permanently fitted into the mouth.

Who is a candidate for dental implants?

To be a candidate for dental implants, healthy gums and adequate bone is required. The jawbone must be in a healthy condition, with enough bone to sustain having the implants fused to it. Often when patients turn towards dental implants for missing teeth, the teeth have been absent for some time. This could be because, at first, it was just one absent tooth that wasn’t too noticeable or because the patient had previously been wearing dentures. This causes a problem because when teeth are absent from the mouth, the jawbone begins to deteriorate from the lack of stimulation that the tooth root used to provide. However, if this is the case then there are other procedures that can be undertaken to get the mouth ready and in a healthy enough condition to sustain dental implants, such as bone and gum grafting.

What are the benefits of dental implants?

Dental implants are becoming the preferred treatment for tooth replacement. Here are just some of the benefits dental implants patients reap:

1. Natural feeling – dental implants are the next best thing to natural teeth. They’re strong, stable and look, fit, feel and function as a normal tooth.
2. Improved appearances – Not only will your smile benefit from having a full arch of teeth, but your entire facial structure will too. People with several missing teeth can suffer from facial collapse, where the lips fold in and the cheeks and lower half appear sunken. Dental implants will provide your cheeks, lips and bite with the fullness they need to put the life back in your smile.
3. Increased confidence – having a restored mouth means you’ll no longer feel self-conscious about your smile. You’ll regain the self-esteem to laugh and eat whenever and wherever you please. The biggest response we receive from our patients is how dental implants have allowed them to feel comfortable again in everyday situations.
4. Jaw bone health – one of the biggest health advantages of dental implants is that they help to keep your mouth strong and firm by stimulating and preserving the jaw bone, encouraging bone growth, and preventing bone loss (which occurs when teeth are missing).
5. Improved speech – unlike poor-fitting, removable dentures, dental implants will not slip in the mouth. This means patients are not at risk of mumbling or slurring their words. Dental implants allow patients to speak normally, as they would with natural teeth, without the worry that their teeth might slip.
6. Permanent – dental implants are fitted permanently into your mouth, meaning teeth are kept where they belong – in your mouth.
7. Comfortable – because dental implants are a part of you, they’re as comfortable as natural teeth. The discomforts experienced with removable dentures are not a factor with dental implants.
8. Low maintenance – cavities can’t occur in replacement teeth. However, regular dental visits and scheduled cleans, as well as daily cleaning and flossing should happen, as it would with natural teeth.
9. Easier eating – removable dentures slide in the mouth, making chewing difficult and often meaning certain foods are avoided. This worry is eliminated with dental implants, allowing your favourite foods to be eaten without worry or pain.
10. Improved nutrition – because no food groups are eliminated from your diet (usually experienced with removable dentures due to chewing difficulties), an overall improvement in nutrition and general wellbeing is experienced.
11. Durability – Unlike dental bridges, dental implants are built to last a lifetime. If cared for properly, they will be your last dental investment.

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Lost a tooth? A new 3D-printed replacement might protect against future cavities. Published earlier this month by researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, “3D-Printable Antimicrobial Composite Resins” details a tooth made from materials that kill bacteria on contact.

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Thanks to research and technology, bone regeneration for implant dentistry is a usual and routine procedure in oral surgery.

Understanding the principles of wound healing now allows for regeneration of bone to occur using a variety of techniques. Most include cutting through the gum to expose the bone and then augmenting the existing (insufficient) bone by adding bone grafting materials to it. Hence the name “bone grafting”.

Grafting materials include your own bone (sourced from a secondary site), cadaver bone, bovine bone, or synthetic bone. All of these grafting materials have been processed so that they are inert and certified safe for human use. Your body will then grow its own bone around the graft, eventually replacing volume.

Healing of the grafted material can be enhanced by using membranes which cover the grafts to promote and enhance healing.

See more about how we do our bone grafts here.

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The real problem with tooth loss isn’t just aesthetics, it’s the subsequent bone loss. The alveolar bone, which surrounds the teeth, requires regular stimulation (piezoelectric effect – tiny stresses transmitted via the tooth) in order to stay healthy. Without such stimulation the bone will gradually be lost. It is a process of the body to take bone from where it’s not ‘needed’ to where it is needed. Studies have proven that a lost tooth can result in a 25% decrease in bone width in the first year alone, and will continue to decrease in subsequent years.

As bone loses width and height, gum tissue also gradually decreases. Ability to chew and to speak can be impaired. The more teeth lost, the more function is lost.
Bite collapse can occur when only some of the back teeth, which support the height of the face, are missing. This can cause the front teeth to be more stressed, squashed or pushed forward. Severe bone loss will also result in uncomfortable dentures or the inability to wear one at all.

Fortunately, there is way to keep tooth loss from becoming bone loss: It’s the dental implant. Because the implant actually becomes fused to the living bone, it will continue to stimulate the bone and prevent loss.

Molars, in fact, are usually the first teeth to be lost. Dealing with that first missing molar will help maintain the integrity of the jaw and the structures they support.

Read here for an in-depth discussion on the benefits of dental implants and facial collapse.

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Dr Henry Chan has successfully completed his Masters program at Goethe University in Frankfurt.

After almost three years flying between Perth and Frankfurt, and about 10 other seminars/tutorials/conventions in between, a Master Thesis and countless formal case studies later, Henry has earned himself the title “Master of Science (MSc.) in Oral Implantology”.

If you are interested to see what the Masters program involved, follow this link to the university’s website here.

Congratulations Henry, there are not many dentists in Australia with this title, so we are lucky to have him here in Perth!

Watch out – he’s going to need a bigger business card to contain all his long titles, lucky he has a short name.

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Found during one of Henry’s travels:
A painting in the Leopold Museum in Vienna demonstrates the effects of facial collapse.

Facial collapse is a condition that occurs when a person has lost their teeth and his or her body starts to absorb the bone that once supported those teeth. It happens over a period of about 10 years as the bone in the jaw shrinks substantially.A person who suffers from facial collapse has a significantly altered appearance and looks much older than he or she actually is. In addition to the physical toll facial collapse takes on a person, it negatively impacts health.

How does facial collapse occur?

Bones need proper chewing forces to maintain their form and density. The compressive and tensile forces teeth exert on the surrounding bone stimulates the growth and density of the jawbone . When a tooth is lost, the lack of stimulation to its supporting bone will thus cause a decrease in bone volume and integrity. According to credible research, 25% of bone loss occurs during the first year after tooth loss and continues, sometime to the point of fracture.

A tooth is necessary for the development of facial bone, and stimulation of this bone by chewing forces is vital for maintaining its structure. This phenomenon has been ignored in the past and is currently being ignored by traditional dentistry. Dentists most often overlook facial bone loss that occurs after tooth extraction. The general public is often not educated about the anatomic, aesthetic, and functional consequences of continued bone loss. In actual fact, the bone loss often accelerated if the patient wears removable dentures.

Just as the body can absorb bone, the good news is that it can also rebuild.When teeth or dental implants are present in the jaw, a stimulus is sent to the bone that keeps it from dissolving away. This is called the piezoelectric effect, and it is one of the most important reasons for restoring missing teeth with dental implants.

If you’re missing all your teeth, it will be worthwhile in consider investing in dental implants. Placing eight dental implants in each jaw is optimal in preserving your bone. If that doesn’t fit your budget, then the more dental implants you can afford to have placed, the better.

To find out more in detail contact us for our free publication “Dental Implant Reference” where it addresses everything about dental implants.

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Stationed in a foreign country, Alison sought to have a root canal treatment for a cracked front tooth, but awoke from sedation with all her healthy teeth removed.

In pain, unable to eat and ashamed of her appearance, she endured dentures which were “loose, bulky … uncomfortable”.

But in a turn of events, Alison is now smiling again after having implant surgery which restored her health and confidence.

Her case was documented by UK TV series Botched up Bodies.

To see a recent article on her horror story, read here.

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Sure prices do vary, depending on what type of implant is required, size, quality and sometimes even how desperate the dentist is to get you in through their door. There may be offers of “quick fixes”, “cheap” “two for one” (oh dear), plus an assortment of other “free” services.

Though what goes into the cost of each implant is covered in our website and our publication, here’s another way to determine if implants are really worth it.

Consider an excellent, clinically researched and warrantied German brand of implant. If its placement executed by an experienced dentist costs $5500 (not a quote), is maintained well, and last 30 years (10,956 days), the daily cost of that implant equates to 50 cents a day, or less than a cup of coffee a week. And that’s top-of-the-range stuff. Now that’s an investment.

Isn’t it worth 50 cents to be able to eat well, talk properly, look and feel good? (That one cup of coffee you pass up per week is one less cup with which to stain your teeth anyway. Win!)

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The following mentioned brands are amongst a few that have proven themselves in countless, documented trials.
Nobel Biocare + Branemark. Of course, Professor Branemark is the “father” of modern dental implants. Nobel Biocare has since acquired the Branemark company, and still includes the Branemark concept in its range.

AstraTech – The first company with a documented research record. Originally branching from a pharmaceutical company, AstraTech documented everything the same way, just as if it were pharmaceuticals. (No other dental implant manufacturer did this at first!) AstraTech has the longest research record of any company.
Ankylos is one of the most well-researched system with a very high reputation.
Straumann / ITI is a system from Switzerland. ITI stands for International Team for Implantology. This is a group of top dentists who banded together to agree on set standards for dental implants. This group is still active, and has a very close association with Straumann.

However

Because you are unique, the implant ecosystem is much more complex than the simple question of best brand:

• How can I be sure that implants are needed? What’s the basis for your diagnosis?
• How much experience with implantology have you had?
• Do  I have enough jawbone?
• What kind of life can I expect for the types of implants recommended for me?
• Do I need a 3D cone beam X-ray, why?
• If my case is challenging, could you refer me for a second opinion?

Finding out the types of implant platform/systems with which the dentist has experience is much more important than the brand of the actual implant. During surgery, the dentist needs wide latitude of tools, implants, caps, abutments, supporting parts etc. Sometimes, the best solution calls for cross-platform tools. A dentist who has been broadly trained is in the best position to make tactical decisions during surgery. One size does not fit all.

An experienced dentist will be able to educate and explain (without smoke and mirrors) their reasoning for the implant that will best suit your situation.

For example, dentist might point to your x-rays/3D imaging and show you that “your sinus floor calls for a short, wide implant at x angle with a custom abutment, which is offered by the Nobel Replace Select platform – Otherwise a sinus lift and bone graft will allow us to use the Straumann platform. The second option has worked extremely well with other patients with similar sinus floors and bone depth.” They should be able to expand on the pros and cons (and cost) between the two systems.

Of course, here at SSDC, we do use the most reputable brands as mentioned above. Any discerning implantologist will choose to work with the best.

No two patients have exactly the same diagnosis. Your situation is unique to you, so demand a thorough explanation. The deciding factor for implant success ultimately remain in the experience of the practitioner. In the hands of a skilled dentist, the vast majority of implant brands have an excellent prognosis. But no “best” implant brand will save the inexperienced doctor from failures.

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Humans have being replacing teeth with root-form implants for thousands of years. Pegs of metal “teeth” have been found in the jawbone of 2000 year old remains from ancient Egypt. Other materials people in the ancient times have employed include seashells, bamboo, ivory and even teeth transplanted from other humans. Imagine what the patient had to endure to replace a lost tooth! Though some were “functional”, with reports of plaque buildup, one cannot imagine the number of failures!

May last year saw the discovery of ancient false teeth in a woman of the Iron Age, some 2800 years ago! Read the article here.

Fortunately the “modern” dental implant has had many years of research since its conception in the 1950s and with techniques better than ever, we can be thankful for less complications and higher success rates.

Oh and bamboo, ivory, and shells are no longer used.

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