What is an Implant?

Implant treatment is a very easy-to-use, comfortable, durable, aesthetic and most acceptable form of treatment for the patient. Porcelain prostheses made on implants replace real teeth and provide a natural and aesthetic appearance. It is an important advantage that healthy teeth are left untouched while missing teeth are replaced. It is much longer lasting than all dentures. Today, there are 41-year-old cases of implants that have received implant treatment and remained in the mouth successfully. It will also eliminate the negative psychological effects of missing teeth by increasing the patient's self-confidence.

Studies on implants date back to the early 1800s. Today, there are implants made in the world that are very close to perfect and have 35-40 years of clinical follow-up. If the properly selected implants are made correctly in the appropriate case and the patient pays the necessary attention to oral hygiene, the implants can remain in the mouth for a very long time without causing any problems.

Implants can be applied to anyone who is in good general health. As long as the patient's general health condition is good, there is no upper age limit that would prevent implant application. However, implants may not be suitable for very young patients whose bone development has not been completed.

Implant screws have a certain thickness and width. For this reason, the jaw bone in the area where the implant will be applied must have a height and width suitable for these implants. In addition, the quality of the bone is one of the factors affecting the success of the implant. If the bone is too hard or too soft, it will negatively affect the success of the implant. Moreover, gums and adjacent anatomical structures are also important in implant application.

Implant treatment can be applied in any case, whether a single tooth or multiple teeth are missing, if there is a sufficient amount of bone for implant placement. What needs to be taken into consideration here is the width and height of the bone, and its distance from neighboring teeth and anatomical structures. For this purpose, the condition of the bone is determined by radiography or computerized tomography.

As with all interventions in dentistry, there is no pain in implant treatment if the appropriate anesthesia method is applied. Implant treatment can also be performed under general anesthesia in patients who are reluctant to use local anesthesia or have an excessive gag reflex. There may be some pain after the procedure, similar to the pain after a tooth extraction. This pain, which can usually be felt on the evening of the implant, can be relieved by using simple painkillers.

Implant treatment is done in two stages. Although the placement stage of the implants varies depending on the number of implants to be made, the time it takes to place an implant is approximately ten minutes. However, this period may vary depending on the condition of the tooth and bone structure. The second stage, the prosthesis stage, is approximately 2-3 months after the implants are placed. This time is also the total treatment time. There will be no problems in terms of aesthetics and function with temporary prostheses made during this period.

It takes approximately 2-3 months for the implants to fully integrate with the bone (osteointegration). During this period, the loads on the implants should be minimized. However, during this healing period, a temporary prosthesis can be made, provided that there is no excessive load on the implants. Permanent prosthesis can be made after the implants are fused to the jawbone.

No, it's usually not necessary. If the number of missing teeth is more than two, a plan can be made to leave a gap between the implants and apply a bridge prosthesis to the toothless area.

As long as implants are made properly, such a possibility is almost non-existent. The failure rate is around 1-2%. These failures usually occur within the first 3 months following implant placement. In such a case, the implant is removed with a procedure as easy as tooth extraction, and if there is not much loss in the bone, a slightly thicker implant can be placed. If bone loss is excessive, a new implant can be placed after the bone heals, or one of the classical type prostheses can be preferred.

Implant treatment is performed through a multidisciplinary study. In this study, there is a maxillofacial surgeon who will place the implants in the jawbone, a prosthetist who will make the prostheses that will sit on the implants, and a gingival specialist who will check the gingival harmony and health after the treatments are completed. It is very important, first of all, for your own health that such a treatment be performed in centers where it is complicated. During this treatment, a detailed examination may be required, ranging from your general health condition to the examination of the area where the implant will be applied, and some necessary tests may be requested. In addition, the condition of the bone is examined with panoramic film or even dental programmed computer tomography.

Patients who do not have any teeth in their lower jaw and use a removable prosthesis complain of constant pain and the inability to chew well due to the movement of the prosthesis. This complaint increases with increasing age as the bone tissue that supports the prosthesis melts further. In such cases, implant treatment not only eliminates these complaints but also stops bone resorption.

In patients who have lost some of their teeth in the lower or upper jaw, the missing teeth are replaced with a hooked and removable prosthesis or, if applicable, a bridge prosthesis. As a result, the difficulty of using a removable prosthesis and the fact that healthy teeth will be cut while making a bridge are generally undesirable by patients. Since the implant treatment in these cases will be done in the form of a fixed prosthesis, all previous problems will be eliminated.

For patients who have lost a single tooth, the classical treatment method is that at least two adjacent teeth must be cut to restore a single tooth. In such cases, cutting of adjacent teeth can be prevented with a single implant. In this way, a more aesthetic and functional prosthesis is made.

Generally, the failure rate in implant applications is around 1-2%. Before implant treatment, it is necessary to learn the general health status of the patient. In some diseases (such as diabetes), implant application should be avoided. In addition, the success rate of implants is lower in smokers and people who do not pay due attention to oral hygiene. However, the area where the implant will be applied must be evaluated very well. Conditions such as the quantity and quality of the bone and its proximity to anatomical structures should be evaluated. If careful work has been done on implant treatment and the patient shows the necessary care, implants can remain in the mouth for many years without any problems.

Unfortunately, there is such a misconception among the public. However, no scientific study to date has found any evidence that implants cause cancer.