Health
Dental Implants: Not a One-size-fits All Job
Once upon a time, dental implants may have been a fairly standard procedure. In other words, there was just one type available – and we needed to know little else.
Suffice to say, the industry has changed. There are now umpteen types of dental implants available, with some sources estimating that there might even be more than forty.
Of course, this also means that it’s become very much a mainstream procedure and one that dentists will perform in a very straightforward manner. To highlight just how this treatment can differ, but ultimately stay very simple, we’ll now highlight some of the dental implants that are now available.
Single tooth replacements
Let’s start with the simplest form out there; single tooth replacements. Little else needs to be said about this form of implant; they just use one implant and will support just one crown.
Multiple tooth replacements
This moves us nicely onto multiple tooth replacements. As you may expect, this is something that will affect those of you who are missing several teeth and need replacements.
To put this procedure into perspective, you’ll tend to need between four and eight implants if you’re looking to replace your whole jaw of teeth.
Over-dentures
This is one type of implant which doesn’t necessarily explain itself in its name. It occurs when there are at least two implants which have been used to stabilize the denture and ultimately improve the bone which is underneath.
This is a hugely beneficial procedure when compared to standard dentures. Previously, dentures would place a lot of pressure on the bone and cause it to deteriorate over time. Now that the dentures are supported by implants, it means that they offer a layer of support which protects the underlying bone.
This type of treatment will usually be provided to patients who may have lost all of their teeth in just one or both of their jaws. In fact, the American Dental Association recognizes this as the primary course of treatment for those people who have suffered with this.
Temporary bridgework
Temporary bridgework is an implant which differs significantly to the others we have looked at. This time, it focusses on micro-mini implants.
As the name suggests, these smaller implants are temporary and will later be removed by the dentist. They are often utilized alongside permanent implants; in a bid to provide more stability to the jaw and to also ensure that the patient will be always have teeth as they await the conclusion of the permanent procedure. It’s this last point which makes temporary bridgework a much more common form of treatment than it once was; the thought of a person being left without teeth even on a temporary basis is scary, and will ultimately hinder their day-to-day activities. As such, temporary implants, albeit small, are an essential element of modern-day dentistry.
The fact that these implants are so small in size highlights just why there are so many variations now available and how implants are one of the dentist’s most crucial tools.
Image Credits: Wikipedia