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| Implant Bridges |
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Implants have been used successfully for the treatment of patients with no remaining teeth for over 30 years. Implants are now in common use in situations where only a few teeth are missing, as for this patient who knocked out his front teeth in an accident.
Over twenty years, success rates of over 95% have been reported for multiple implants supporting bridges replacing up to 10 - 12 teeth, as for this patient, who is in fact missing all of his teeth.
Bridges may also be used in combination with individual implants, as may be seen elsewhere in this section.
There are several advantages to this type of treatment:
* If a good volume of bone is available, an implant retained crown or bridge has a similar, or even better appearance than a normal crown or bridge, as it appears to emerge from the gum naturally.
* Replacing a missing tooth with an implant avoids the necessity to crown adjacent healthy teeth as would normally be necessary to support a conventional bridge.
* The presence of an implant will slow the change in shape of the bone and gum where a tooth has been lost. Indeed, it is sometimes possible to improve the contour of the area where a tooth is missing by placing an implant.
* Teeth adjacent to an implant bridge will lead a normal uncompromised life.
Having established that there is sufficient bone present with an X-Ray, diagnostic models are sometimes constructed. These models will demonstrate the amount of space available for the teeth, help us to design a natural looking restoration, and allow us to plan the exact position of the implants. Where necessary a temporary adhesive bridge or denture is fabricated.
The actual surgical procedure usually takes about twenty minutes per implant, and is most often carried out under local anaesthesia in our specially equipped procedure room. Most patients report little or no discomfort either during or after the surgery.
Having placed the implant, the area is usually allowed to heal for some weeks. (This treatment may sometimes be expedited – see “Teeth in a Day”). An implant bridge can then be fabricated, typically in three – four sessions, depending on the size of the bridge.
It is important to note that although implants are immune to tooth decay, it is still important to maintain a high standard of plaque removal around them so as to prevent gum problems. Like any other form of sophisticated dental reconstruction, prevention is the best treatment, and regular hygiene maintenance is important. |
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