The majority of dental implants placed are made of a titanium alloy which has a post attached to it to help hold the new crown. The implant and the post are usually made of titanium. The post can be set into different angles depending on how the implant was placed to make things even. The post can sometimes be made of zirconium if the implant used is wide enough(strong enough) to sustain a post large enough so that it can take daily pressures of chewing. If the implant used is narrow such as in the front part of the mouth, a zirconium post could risk fracture.Implants are sometimes also made of zirconia, however the implant and the post come as one piece. The big disavantage with this is that the placement of implant and bone in area has to be perfect as the angle cannot be adjusted as easily. However, these kinds of implants have been gaining popularity and for some patients wishing an alternative it can be a good choice depending on the kind of appropriate case.
Dental Implants that are required for the replacement of front teeth often vary in number, typically we do not need 4 implants to replace 4 missing teeth. Often there are space issues and placement of 4 implants can cause the implants to be too close to each other. This can make the new crowns and gums appear not natural. We often suggest placement of two implants in the lateral incisor positions and splinting a 4 unit bridge across. The lab technician can mimic the illusion of 4 teeth much easier with this setup. Goodluck !
Hello, in the posterior upper jaw there are empty spaces known as your sinuses, these empty spaces enlarge over time when you have had teeth removed. We would need x-rays to evaluate the remaining height of bone in the area. In certain situations we need to do a bone augmentation procedure prior to implant therapy. Sometimes we can do the bone augmentaiton and place the implant at the same time. I hope that helps.
The nice thing about mini dental implants, is that most of the time the jaw bone in the chin area is the last area affected by shrinkage. Most of the time we are able to place mini implants without any bone augmentation. Mini implants can be placed in areas of minimal jaw bone thickness. To compensate , you must ensure your dentist if they are using mini implants to use at least 4 implants on the bottom jaw. Standard size implants (3mm in diameter and above) need minimum of two implants for denture retention. Mini size implants need a minimum of 4 to compensate for the smaller implant diameter , so do not forget to ask how many are being used to avoid potential problems(fracture or twisting of the mini implants).As a side note, mini implants used in the top jaw have not been found to be as successful due to the low bone density of the upper jaw. You would need a minimum of 6 mini implants for upper denture retention and even then I would recommend this only as a last resort if you are unable to get standard size implants in place.Good Luck !
Hi, its usual to have discomfort up to 3 weeks later.Do you experience any numbing on your tongue or lip on the side where the implants have been placed?is it only sore if you are wearing your temporary ? it could be that the the temporary needs to be relieved in the area where the implants were placed.
