If teeth are missing due to congenital causes or are lost due to an illness or traumatic event, it is very important to replace them as soon as possible.
Characteristics of dental implants
Nowadays, it is known that there are several remedies for replacing missing teeth, and one of them is definitely dental implantology. There is a lot of talk about dental implants, but not always everything you hear has a scientific value.
It is important, therefore, to clarify. A dental implant is an artificial root inserted into the jawbone or mandibular bone through a surgical procedure. Its function is to support fixed or mobile prostheses.
In practice, by using dental implants, an external element is inserted into our body that acts as a root. For this reason, the material with which they are made must be as biocompatible as possible. The most widely used and most suitable material is titanium, which can be used pure or in alloy. It is a light element, very resistant to corrosion and can be perfectly integrated into the bone.
Osseointegration of dental implants
After the insertion of the “root” it is necessary to wait a certain period of time to allow the implant to integrate into the bone, after which fixed prostheses or supraconstructions can be applied to fix mobile prostheses.
This integration process is called osseointegration and is the concept on which dental implantology is based.
The term osseointegration was coined by Prof. Branemark in the late 1960s. According to Prof. Branemark, it is necessary to wait a certain period of time for our body to accept and incorporate the inserted implants.
Therefore, in order to increase the probability of success of dental implants, he recommended that fixed prostheses be applied after a period of about 3-6 months from the insertion of the implants. Today there are several techniques of dental implantology that to a greater or lesser extent deviate from the dictates of Prof. Branemark.
Techniques for the placement of dental implants
Immediate loading implantology, for example, is a type of technique that consists of applying dental implants and prostheses in a single session, so as to return the teeth to the patient immediately.
This type of technique, however, could reduce the possibility of success of the intervention because the immediate restoration of the chewing function exposes the patient to risks, as it subjects the dental implants to a workload that can be excessive, without giving time to the implants to integrate into the bone. (Delayed versus immediate loading of implants: survivor analysis and risk factors for dental implant failure, Susarla SM, Chuang SK, Dodson TB, J. Oral Maxillofac Surg, 2008, Feb, 66(2):251-5).
Dental implants: rejection or failure?
Very often the term rejection is used to indicate the failure of dental implants. However, it would be better to talk about failure, because it can be determined by a series of factors not related to the patient’s ability to accept the implants, which in fact, being made of titanium, are accepted by our organism without problems, but rather directly related to the respect of some conditions.
Rejection is instead linked to the patient’s inability to accept the implants. In addition to the respect of the time necessary for the osseointegration, the professionalism of the surgeon, the use of adequate equipment, the respect of the sterile condition are very important. The more these elements are taken into account, the greater the probability of success of the intervention.
Who can use dental implants?
Practically everyone, after evaluating the general conditions of health and the presence of sufficient bone to insert the implant. And if there is no bone? Is it not possible to insert implants? In theory it is, but there is a solution to this too: bone regeneration, a technique that allows the reconstruction of bone tissue by grafting bone from a bone bank or from the patient himself.
Modern dentistry has made important progress, but the respect of the physiological healing time of our body, the hygienic rules and the professionalism of the surgeon, remain essential to avoid the failure of the implant.