Implants

What is a dental implant?

Essentially an implant is a titanium screw that is placed into the bone of the upper or lower jaw by means of a minor surgical procedure which then allows for a dental crown to be attached to it once the bone has healed around the implant, thereby recreating a tooth as if it were brand new.

Are implants for everybody? Yes, they are suitable probably for 95% of people, however there are certain general factors which can increase the chances of an implant failing. Some of those factors are smoking, uncontrolled diabetes, poor oral hygiene and uncontrolled gum disease to name the more common ones. Patients on certain types of drugs for osteoporosis may also be unsuitable for implant placement.

For an implant to be successful there also needs to be an adequate amount of bone present in the area where one would like to have the implant ideally placed and that is not always the case. This can sometimes be resolved by placing either artificial bone or the patient’s own bone in the site where there is not enough bone in order to increase bone volume for implant placement.

In some situations, anatomical structures may be in the way (such as a sinus or a nerve canal) which then impedes the operator from placing the implant in its ideal position, thereby requiring compromised placement if that will still achieve the desired result to the patient’s satisfaction.

Crowns are generally attached to the implant by means of a screw or with a special kind of cement. Different operators favour one or the other method and our dentists at MHP Dental generally use screws to attach crowns to implants.

A very common question is “What is the cost of an implant?”. There are essentially 2 components as you may have gathered, the placement of the implant (which is a minor surgical procedure) and the making of the crown and attaching it to the implant. Implant placement will generally fall somewhere between $2500 – $3500 depending on the associated variables and complexity, as mentioned above. The cost of a crown that attaches to the implant will also fall within a range of $2000 – $3000 depending on the components and materials.

What is very important to take into consideration is that a missing tooth that is restored by means of an implant with a crown is a very long-term solution. It’s akin to knocking down an old house and building a new one from scratch rather than refurbishing the old one due to its poor condition and foundations. Whilst the building of the new house may cost more money, it will last a long time without needing any major maintenance. An implant is exactly that in terms of a tooth replacement.

If you are interested in more information about an implant as a means of replacing a lost tooth, call us at MHP Dental on 98872044 and our experienced dentists will be more than happy to asses your needs and advise accordingly. Do not assume that you are not a candidate to have an implant placed until you are properly assessed by a dentist.