Dental implant

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root, usually placed into your jaw. It is generally made of titanium since this is a tolerable material by the bone and body. The purpose of the dental implant is to provide a function to teeth, missing for various reasons, as well as to provide an aesthetic look. Thanks to the implant, the missing teeth are replaced and the teeth perform their normal function and they would look natural and beautiful.

In the current state of dentistry, the dental implants certainly constitute the best and natural dental treatment for replacing missing teeth.

While implants provide better speech and chewing function compared to traditional veneers and prostheses, they also provide a natural look to your face.

The advantage of implant treatment over other treatments is that it is possible to complete missing teeth without touching neighboring healthy teeth in the case of a defect in a single tooth or it is possible to use fixed prostheses instead of the movable prosthesis when multiple teeth require treatment. A dental implant is a more functional alternative treatment compared to veneer, bridges and palatal prostheses. In veneer and bridge treatment, other neighboring teeth are damaged since they are supported by other teeth.

Nevertheless, in case of a dental implant, the tooth root is directly applied to the jawbone and the treatment is performed without damaging other teeth.

Today’s most commonly used conventional intraosseous dental implant consists of three components. These are;

1-The Screw (Infrastructure part):  This is the root component of the implant placed into the jawbone,  and usually made of titanium or other biocompatible materials

2-The Prosthesis (Superstructure part):  This part is the upper part of the implant. This is the crown, bridge or denture that is supported by the implant.

3-The Abutment (Mezostructure part): This is the intermediate part of the implant. This connects the other two parts. Cylinder-shaped abutments are made of titanium, gold or porcelain, and are screwed onto the implant body.

Please watch our video on tooth implant surgery to better understand the implant treatment procedures. Coming soon.

• Implant treatment is a more robust, comfortable and reliable method than other methods.
• It does not harm other teeth as it is applied alone without getting a support from a tooth, hence it does not damage the other tooth.
• Prevents bone loss: A tooth extraction or loss of tooth causes a physiological loss in the bone tissue around the extraction or loss. If a dental implant is applied to the recent extraction site, the bone loss does not occur.
• Hence, the implant treatment is the best choice to maintain the bone on the extraction site.
• It does not cause any deterioration in the mouth and tooth structure of the person because it looks like a natural tooth. There are visual deteriorations in other treatments such as root canal and bridges since they deteriorate the structure of the bones. However, the dental implant therapy is free of these deteriorations.
• Since the patient is capable to use fully the chewing functions, s/he is allowed to eat whatever they like. Hence, the patient gets better more quickly since s/he may keep a more healthy and balanced diet.
• Implant allows the patient to enjoy the taste of foods: Due to the loss of teeth in the upper jawbone, when the patient uses the prosthesis, the patient cannot enjoy the taste of foods since the palate is covered with the prosthesis. In addition, the prosthesis causes nausea problem. Implant treatment eliminates such problems.
• Since the patient regains beautiful and aesthetic teeth, their confidence is boosted and they are able to smile without hesitation.
• Particularly, when the patient uses the prosthesis, the retention of the prosthesis is reduced to the bone erasure, as the patient gets older. Patients have difficulty using the prosthesis. They become uncomfortable when they hear the sound coming from the prosthesis when they are talking or eating, and they would feel old. On the other hand, since the prosthesis on the implant does not move and since this is the closest solution to the natural tooth, the patient is fully able to eat, drink, speak and nothing changes in terms of aesthetic look. Thus, the patient, who uses a dental implant, looks 5-10 years younger.
• If we compare the duration of other treatment methods, the dental implant lasts longer. For the implant brand (Straumann) that we use, there is a lifetime guarantee.
• Since the dental implant is not something different from the other teeth, tooth cleaning is completed in the same way.
• Since there is no nerve in the implant, you would not feel sensitive in extreme cold or hot conditions and you do not feel pain.

Implant treatment is used when a single tooth is missing or multiple teeth are missing or complete toothlessness.

Two methods are available to use for placing the implants.

The first method: ”Immediate placement”. The implant is placed immediately after the tooth is extracted. For this first method, there must be sufficient bones tissue for the implant to retain its place, from where the tooth is recently extracted.

In addition, if the patient has a chronic systemic disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure, blood coagulation disorders, it is necessary to take prophylactic measures before the treatment. With this method, there is no need to wait. The patient can leave the clinic with their new implants.

The second method: Late implantation. Planting the implant after 2-3 months after tooth extraction. With the waiting period, it is ensured that the implant retains the bone.

In our clinic, the implant treatment consists of 4 steps:

1-Consultation and planning

The initial examination performed by the maxillofacial surgeon is used to determine if the patient is suitable for implant treatment. It is necessary to examine whether the patient has other diseases or any other obstacles to the treatment.

If there is an obstacle, the dentist first strives to eliminate the obstacle. Thanks to panoramic x-ray or 3D CT scan of the jawbone, it is possible to examine the jawbone from every angle. Then, the bone density on the area where the treatment will be applied needs to be measured. Since the most important stage of the implant treatment is the planning,

“an implant treatment, which is not correctly planned and applied,  would create more problems later. If the patient’s general condition and bone tissue are suitable for implant treatment, the surgeon recommends the most appropriate implant for the patient.”

Moreover, it is necessary to take into account the expectation of the patient in terms of aesthetics. Particularly, the aesthetic planning and application are important for the group of front teeth.

2-Dental implantation

The implant is placed (screwed) on the jawbone with an operation, completely painless (local anesthesia). This operation lasts 5-10 minutes per implant.  After this operation, it is necessary to wait for 3-4 months so that the implant completely bonds to the jawbone,

“although this time differs based on the person.

If there is not enough bone tissue in the area where the implant will be placed, a special surgical procedure called ‘bone augmentation/bone graft’ is applied and a new bone tissue is formed in the area where the implant is placed.”

3-Healing time

An average of 3 to 5 months is required for the implant to bond the jawbone (osseointegration) and the implant becomes a part of the bone tissue. During this period, it is necessary for the patient to pay attention to control his/her mount hygiene and cleanliness of the teeth as well as to regularly use the medicine prescribed at the beginning of the treatment.

4-Final restoration

In the last phase, we attach the “crown”, made of porcelain or zirconium, on the implants, made of titanium and impacted to the bone, in our dental laboratories. The crowns or prosthesis are prepared according to the personal measurements, and placed on the implants either by bonding or screwing or by using both at the same time, as we call the hybrid method. The prosthesis teeth to be placed on the implant may be a single crown, sometimes a bridge, or sometimes a complete prosthesis. After all the procedures, the dentist informs the patient about the things s/he needs to take into consideration, and the treatment is completed.

In order to have a successful implant treatment, the patient needs to pay attention to the cleanliness of the teeth as well as oral hygiene.

Tooth extraction           

The tooth extraction is inevitable if the tooth is carious, broken or damaged somehow and it is not possible to treat the tooth with filling, crown or another possible dental treatment. In which cases tooth extraction is performed:

• If the cavity reaches the root of the tooth
• If it is not possible to rescue the tooth even if the root canal treatment is applied
• If the tooth is shaking because of gingival diseases
• The presence of traumatized and broken teeth
• If the teeth cause the formation of cyst or tumor
• If the infection partially destructs the tooth or bone around the tooth
• If the patient suffers from pain because of half-impacted or impacted wisdom teeth

Bone Grafting (Bone Augmentation)

During this procedure, while it is possible to use the patient’s own bone or it is possible to use bone meals, particularly produced for this purpose.

After the procedure, it is expected that the bone meal applied is fused with the patient’s own bone tissue and the implant treatment can be completed. When ossification is observed through the CT scan (approximately 3-4 months), it is possible to place the implant on that site.

Sinus Lift

The maxillary sinuses are located in the inner zone of the cheek and on the back teeth of the upper jaw. Although sinuses are cavernous structures and there is nothing inside them. Sometimes, the roots of the upper back teeth are found in these cavernous structures.

Sometimes if these teeth are extracted, the thin part of the sinus may be opened to the mouth. If the sinus wall is too thin, the construction of the implant becomes impossible. In such cases, a surgical operation is performed to elevate the sinus floor and increase the amount of bone, is called as “sinus lifting”. The surgeon pulls up the sinus membrane of the upper jaw and places a bone graft material in the newly opened places.

After a few months (4-6 months), the bone fragments become integrated with the jawbone and become suitable for dental implant construction.

In fact, it is very difficult to list the best implant brands. At present, there are hundreds of implant brands and companies operating on the market, some of which have been operating for over 20 years while some companies newly started to operate.

This issue shall be assessed from many perspectives, such as the reliability, success, durability of the implant companies and experience of the physicians. A dentist can only know about implants that s/he used previously and may comment on them, although it is not possible for a dentist to try all the implants since there are too many brands in the market. For implant brands, the quality and the type of the materials are very important.

When an implant is made from a non-quality material, it does not bond to the human jaw and bone tissue, it may also cause other diseases and problems. Hence, here are the criteria you should take into consideration when selecting your implant brand:

• The implants needs have a patent for the product
• It should be a brand with a proven success, attaching great importance to R&D studies as well as literature reviews, providing sufficient technical support and offering enough choices for upper jaw prosthesis.
• The implant brands should successfully complete the tests and they should ensure the bone and tissue compatibility
• The waiting time for the bone compatibility and healing time should not be long.
• There should not be any side effect and allergic results
• The implant should have a good design

Most importantly, after identifying the brand that fulfills these criteria, the patient shall select a dentist having sufficient experience as well as an international and reliable clinic, attaching maximum importance to the sterilization.

• More than 30 years of international experience and reliability
• Biocompatible titanium implant materials
• Life-long guarantee all over the world
• Fast and easy method of implantation, shorter healing time
• Professional quick technical support and service network
• More reasonable price compared to other countries

• More than 20 years of international experience and reliability
• Biocompatible, medical grade titanium alloy
• Long term warranty
• Fast and easy method of implantation, shorter healing time
• Much more reasonable price

The costs of implant treatment will depend on the complexity of the procedure to be performed (i.e. whether sinus lifting or bone grafting should be performed before implant treatment), the brand and number of implants, the amount of extra material to be used (abutment and prosthesis on the implant).

Hence, we believe that it would be better to explain to the patient the factors affecting the cost of the implant and treatment, rather than specifying directly the cost of one implant. Thus, it would create results that are more reliable if we give an exact amount to the patient after the patient sends us a panoramic CT or have a free mouth check-up at our clinic.

We would like to explain to you the treatment performed with 2 implant brands so that you have a better understanding of our pricing, procedure and required treatment.