Thursday, September 10, 2009

Watching Out With Dental Implants

By Ian Kleine

One should understand that for something that you want to gain, you will have to risk losing something during a certain point in your life. With every operation, there are no sure-fire ways to ensure a great rate of success. No tricks, or shortcuts, nothing. Undergoing a challenge means understanding the rewards and the risks involved. Take dental implants for example.

Dental implants have a requirement that the patient should have the proper density, volume and weight in their bones. This is vital because the implant will anchor itself into the bone of the jaw. Without proper bone mass that is required in the operation, you would have to undergo a series of bone grafts to provide the necessary bone mass that is optimum for the operation. This is called bone augmentation and you would be usually advised if you ever need one.

Consideration and meticulous description of the usual routine of the patient should be provided as this will allow the doctor to prescribe a proper post-operative SOP for you to follow. The operation does not end in the chair, it goes past into the post-operative period. If you suffer from Bruxism, or from involuntary teeth clenching, you should have your doctor take a look at that habit. Clenching is a bad thing to happen while you're allowing the implant to set in. This often leads to irreversible damage to the implant, improper formation and fractures. Often, your jaw will also be affected, leading to bone loss, support formation collapse or loosening and resorption of the implant.

Dentists invest enough attention and information for each individual patient. The metal type, implant length, the dimensions of the implant, thread pattern, the smoothness of the implant, the material and the SOP to be used. Whether you can use a commercial implant or if you are in the need for personalization. Your bone quality, mass and density are also gauged and the attending dentist has to correlate with the periodontist, orthodontist, endodontist, surgeons, radiologists and even colleagues to share their data. It's a very tedious process really!

Failures in dental implants lead to incorrect osseointegration. This happens when the implant is mobile, gets absorbed or if the bone does not hold into the implant (often filled with the mucosa). Peri-implantitis is the inflammation of the bone around the implant and often leads to pain and subsequent degradation and loss of bone mass. Smokers are at a higher risk of failure if they do not stop smoking during the prescribed time. Post operation checkups per month are recommended so your doctor can be up-to-date on the condition of the implant.

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