Implantology

When are implants useful?

For example, by accident or while playing sports in adolescent years

Tooth loss occurs, but dental implantations come into question only after completion of the jaw growth. Periodontal disease or tooth decay are the main cause in middle age and in advanced age often periodontitis causes tooth loss and bone loss.

Implants are a gentler alternative to traditional bridges, which often need to grind healthy adjacent teeth that serve as pillars.

Even if the teeth have been missing for many years, implants can be implanted, even in old age. Prerequisite is the good condition of the jawbone.

Why are dental implants the better solution and what are the advantages of implants?

With dentures you have two options to choose from: the conventional dentures, such as bridge, partial and full denture or alternatives of implantology.

If you opt for conventional treatment, you must consider the following negative aspects: In a bridge, your healthy butt or adjacent teeth are ground, in a prosthesis large areas of your mucosa are covered with plastic, through which your jawbone can regress and thus which can worsen over years.
If you opt for the implantology treatment, the tooth root of the missing tooth will be replaced by an implant. This screw forms the anchor for crowns, bridges or holding elements with removable prosthetic elements. When using implants, the healthy adjacent teeth, such as When anchoring a conventional bridge, do not ground, since implants do not require support of adjacent teeth. In the case of implants, as with a prosthesis, large areas of your mucous membrane are not covered with plastic, which can cause your jawbone to recede and thus impair your grip over years.

Jaw sections without teeth and thus without functional stimulus by tooth roots, build up and jaw defects arise or bone loss occurs. Implants can stop bone loss by evenly loading the jaw and thus stabilize the gums, resulting in a natural and aesthetic appearance. Implants provide a natural sensation, are not felt by the patient as a foreign body, and have the same function as natural teeth.
With proper planning, proper care and regular follow-up, implants are today a proven solution for better chewing and functional dentures.
The disadvantages are that a restoration with crowns or bridges may be more expensive if preparatory measures such as bone augmentation, mucosal transplantation, etc. become necessary. The insertion of an implant requires surgical intervention, which always involves a certain risk of complications.
Which conditions have to be considered?
The decision to have a dental implant depends on certain conditions that must be fulfilled in order to be commendable and successful from a medical point of view. The most important requirement for a dental implant is a healthy and adequate jawbone and proper oral hygiene. Certain features, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, etc., play an essential role. Only if there are no concerns, implantation is possible.

The tooth implantation and the course of treatment

An important building block for success is the good planning of a treatment with dental implants. After the history of the procedure, a thorough and careful clinical and radiographic examination of hard and soft tissue is performed before the procedure. Using a low-X-ray DVT device (= digital volume tomography, see DVT), a three-dimensional measurement of the jawbone is performed.

This allows a precise representation of the existing jawbone and ensures with a computer-aided planning and a special drilling template the best possible positioning of implants. This almost excludes risks such as maxillary sinus injury or nerve damage. Various reconstructive and constructive measures may compensate for insufficient bone supply. The most suitable treatment form for you as well as the planning of the dental prosthesis will be individually discussed and planned with you.

The insertion of the dental implant is an outpatient surgical procedure, similar to tooth removal. This is done under local anesthesia (local anesthesia); In some cases, this procedure can also be performed under general anesthesia. The surgery takes place under sterile conditions in the practice of your implantologist. Due to the special instruments for implantation, the jawbone is spared and only a few steps are necessary for preparation.

The anesthesia makes insertion of the implant painless. After anesthesia of the operating area, the jawbone in the implantation area is exposed and the bone bed prepared for the implants. After determining the bone ratios, an accurate hole is made in the jawbone for each implant using various instruments and the previously prepared 3-D computerized surgical guide.

Then the implants are screwed in and the gums are sutured over the implants. By cooling after the procedure, the occurrence of swelling is kept low. In some cases, your implantologist will decide whether to use additional anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications.

The healing time depends on the factors of the medical and physical situation, titanium implants usually heal in a period of 3 months, with extensive bone-building measures this period can extend up to 6 months. At the end of the healing phase, a small surgical procedure is performed by a small mucosal incision to expose the implants to provide them with healing caps.

In order for the dental implants to be able to heal without chewing and compressing, the provisional is adjusted so that any pressure contact (occlusion) is avoided during chewing. The prosthesis is relined so that it exerts no pressure on the implants used. In some cases, several days of wound healing have to be awaited.

After the healing process (implants are firmly attached to the bone), the final restoration is used. Your new dental implant, and we're sure of that, will of course make us feel your own teeth.

Cost of the implant? Cost of an implant supply?

After the planning phase has been completed, a cost estimate for the entire implantology treatment will be made. The costs may vary, as your wishes and ideas determine the scope of costs (material and therapy).

Currently, the statutory health insurance provides a fixed subsidy to the conventional prosthetic care or if, for. Congenital malformations are present due to a tumor operation on the jaw, or if the patient's tooth loss due to a serious accident and a conventional care is no longer possible.

Dental supplements often reimburse part of the costs. Private patients should contact their insurance company and ask how much will be reimbursed. We recommend that you clarify the cost situation before starting treatment.

After this information about costs, advantages of the implantation and the conventional therapy, an individual therapy plan with different supply variants is created for you.