Iowa Health Book: Dentistry
Implants are very durable with a lifetime of many years, and require the same "maintenance" as real teeth including brushing, flossing and regular dental check-ups. Dental implants can help restore almost anyone's smile even if natural teeth have been lost to injury or disease.
The most common reason people consider implants is because a sliding lower denture makes chewing and talking difficult. Implants can also replace individual teeth and partial bridges in the upper and lower jaws. The majority of patients treated with dental implants experience a significant improvement in their ability to chew food and feel more comfortable.
Dental implants are permanent fixtures of titanium posts anchored to the jawbone and topped with individual replacement teeth or a bridge that screws or cements into the posts. Implant technology and materials used today in the United States were developed more than 30 years ago in Sweden. The success rate for implants is remarkable: 98 percent for lower implants and 91 percent for upper implants.
Nearly everyone who can have routine dental care can successfully use implants. Many people who consider implants have removable, conventional dentures for lower and upper jaws, or have removable bridges that clasp to adjacent teeth. A permanent bridge anchored to metal posts in the lower jaw, accompanied by a complete conventional denture for the upper jaw, is the most common use for dental implants. Dental implants include strategically placed posts - one, a few or several - which serve as artificial tooth roots for a permanent bridge of non-removable, stable, natural appearing replacement teeth.
Single teeth or a full arch of teeth - which have been extracted due to injury or disease and replaced with a removable bridge - can be replaced with dental implants. The teeth can be replaced by a non-removable, fixed bridge or by an overdenture that may help with facial support. Implants are very durable, with a lifetime of many years, and require the same "maintenance" as real teeth including brushing, flossing and regular dental check-ups.
To ensure the best possible outcome, prospective implant patients are screened by a team of dental implant specialists at the UI College of Dentistry. The team includes a periodontist or an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who implants the posts into your mouth, and a prosthodontist who designs and makes the replacement teeth or permanent bridge. At the screening appointment, the specialists use an X-ray of your mouth to determine if the bone in the jaw is adequate to hold the titanium posts. Models of the mouth may be made using a soft, pliable plastic compound.
The models accurately show where the gaps are located and provide measurements for a replacement tooth or a bridge. Treatment with dental implants is complicated and takes meticulous planning for best results. Additional X-rays and models of the mouth may be necessary.
Treatment and fees
When the team determines the number, type and location of the dental implants, the surgical phase of treatment can begin. Implants are placed by the periodontist or oral surgeon and the individual teeth or bridgework are restored by a prosthodontist, a member of the restorative dentistry team.
Implants usually require two surgical procedures which are usually performed in the surgeon's office using a local anesthetic and sedative. After the procedure, the gums may be sore during initial healing, usually for seven to 10 days. There may be additional soreness in the gums until they are totally healed - as the bone grows around the titanium posts. This may take several weeks. If you have worn a bridge or false teeth before the first surgery, you may need to wait seven to 10 days before the bridge or false teeth can be adjusted and lined with a soft material to eliminate pressure on the implants.
It takes three to four months for lower jaw implants to heal completely and six to nine months for those in the upper jaw. After the bone has anchored to the titanium posts, you will have a second, minor surgery to expose the implants in the mouth. Permanent porcelain bridges or individual teeth are added and screwed or cemented onto the titanium posts.
Treatment time from placement of the implants until final restoration may take five to 12 months. Fees are based on the number of implants placed and the type of final restoration. They may range from $1,000 to $25,000, depending the patient's needs. Dental insurance may cover a portion of the treatment costs.
Caring for dental implants
Following your treatment, routine maintenance, recall evaluations and X-rays are necessary. These visits are not covered in the original fee. If the screws which hold the fixed bridge in place should break, they can be fixed. Breakage is rare and usually repairable. Thank you for considering us for your dental implant needs.