A dental implant is an artificial tooth root replacement and is used in prosthetic dentistry. The most widely accepted and successful system is the osseointegrated implant, based on the discovery by Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark that titanium could be successfully integrated into bone when bone cells grow on and into the rough surface of the implanted titanium. This forms a structural and functional connection between the living bone and the implant.

Dental implants look and feel so natural that you may even forget you ever lost a tooth. Your confidence about your teeth affects how you feel about yourself, both personally and socially.

If you hide your smile because you are missing teeth, your dentures are not stable or you are having difficulty chewing, dental implants are perfect for you!

Dental implants will allow you to smile, speak, and eat again with comfort and confidence.

Dental implants can be utilized to replace a missing single tooth or to restore a completely edentulous mouth.

Are you an ideal candidate for dental implants?
The ideal candidate for a dental implant is in good general health. Adequate bone quantity and quality in your jaw is required to support the dental implant. Healthy gums that are free of disease are also advantageous.

	Relative size of an actual dental implant.
3i dental implant with an implant crown mimics the look and feel of a natural tooth.

How Can I Benefit From Dental Implants?
Dental implants and implant-retained teeth will help minimize the amount of bone that will be lost in the areas of missing teeth.

Preserving oral bone may help maintain your natural facial contours.

Also, replacing your missing teeth may reduce the risk of having poorer nutritional habits often found in patients who do not replace missing teeth.

Missing tooth replaced with a dental implant and an implant crown.
Single Tooth Implant

The traditional/conventional treatment to replace a missing tooth was a three unit bridge. Today the implant supported crown is the treatment of choice in many cases. Thus avoiding the need to cut healthy teeth.

3-unit Bridge (left) vs. Implant (right)

Surgical procedure
The placement of implants is usually done under local anesthesia. Sedation is optional. Post-operative side effects are minimal and antibiotics as well as painkillers are prescribed. The Osseo integration of the implant requires four months in the lower jaw and six months in the upper jaw prior to the restorative phase. In certain cases, an immediate or delayed loading of the implant may be considered.

Success rates
Dental implant success is related to operator skill, quality and quantity of the bone available at the site, and also to the patient's oral hygiene. Various studies have found the 5 year success rate of implants to be between 75-95%. Patients who smoke experience lower success rates.

Failure
Failure of a dental implant is usually related to failure to osseointegrate.

A dental implant is considered to be a failure if it is lost, mobile or shows excessive bone loss. Dental implants are not susceptible to caries, but they can develop gum infection called peri-implantitis. More rarely, an implant may fail because of poor positioning at the time of surgery, or may be overloaded initially causing failure to integrate.

Contraindications
There are no absolute contraindications to implant dentistry, however there are some systemic, behavioral and anatomic considerations that should be considered.

Uncontrolled type II diabetes is a significant relative contraindication as healing following any type of surgical procedure is delayed due to poor peripheral blood circulation.

Anatomic considerations include the volume and height of bone available.

Often an additional procedure known as a block graft or sinus augmentation are needed to provide enough bone for successful implant placement.

Bruxism (tooth clenching or grinding) is another contraindication. The forces generated during bruxism are particularly detrimental to implants while bone is healing; micromovements in the implant positioning are associated with increased rates of implant failure. Bruxism continues to pose a threat to implants throughout the life of the recipient. Natural teeth contain a periodontal ligament allowing each tooth to move and absorb shock in response to vertical and horizontal forces. Once replaced by dental implants, this ligament is lost and teeth are immovably anchored directly into the jaw bone. This problem can be minimized by wearing a custom made mouth guard at night.