What is a dental implant?

 

The dental implant is a sterile device designed to be the artificial substitute for the root of a lost tooth. manufactured with biocompatible materials such as titanium that do not produce a rejection reaction and allow it to be attached to bone, producing osseointegration.

 

After a personalized study by the specialist dentist, the implants are placed, for the most part, by means of a brief intervention under local anesthesia. We place the implant through a hole of its exact size, an intervention that is generally performed in the office and without the need for a subsequent suture. With our technique there is hardly any inflammation and subsequent discomfort

 

 

History

 

Dr. Per-Ingvar Branemark was a pioneer in the development of the surgical technique of titanium implants for bone reconstruction in various parts of the body, a pioneer in the subject of osseointegration. In 1982, Branemark presented his first works on implantology in Toronto , which had started 15 years ago. In this forum he described from his discovery to osseointegration and his basic and clinical research, to his clinical trials of 5 to 12 years of follow-up with titanium screws in two phases. From a root-shaped design, a multitude of solid implants and hollow screws and cylindrical shapes were developed with and without titanium or hydroxyapatite-coated plasma spray.

 

 

Titanium

 

Titanium has been the key to the development of osseointegration.

It is a reactive metal: it forms an oxide layer on its surface when in contact with air, water or another electrolyte, giving it an extraordinary resistance to chemical attack.

It is an inert material in tissues: the oxide layer makes it insoluble.

It has good mechanical properties: its tensile strength is close to stainless steel and much stronger than cortical bone or dentin, and it is also resistant and malleable, with a modulus of elasticity five times higher than bone.

It is a bioactive material (bone grows on its surface) and binds to it (osseointegration).

 

Success or failure of an implant

 

It is difficult to determine the success or failure of an implant based on the criteria used for a tooth.

The margin between health and illness is similar in both cases. The fundamental criteria for assessing the quality of an implant are pain and mobility. The presence of any of these factors significantly compromises the viability of the implant and is usually an indication for removal.

 

The depth of the probing may be related to the presence of some local alteration or not with the tissue thickness prior to implant placement. Increased probing depth is more useful for diagnosis and is an indication of bone loss, hyperplasia, or gingival hypertrophy. Bone loss is better assessed with probing than with X-rays. The most common cause of bone loss during the first years after insertion of an implant is the existence of factors that cause exaggerated stress.

The bleeding index is an easy parameter to observe and indicates the degree of inflammation of the gums. However, the health status of an implant is not as directly related to this parameter as it is in the case of natural teeth.

It is easier to describe the failure of an implant based on different factors: any pain, vertical mobility, progressive and uncontrolled loss of bone tissue and / or generalized periradiolucency justify its removal.

 

 

At Clinica Vindas Y Asociados we can provide these and many other treatments.

Because your smile is our commitment.