What are dental implants?

Dental implants have become indispensable in modern dental medicine. This status is due to the numerous advantages of implant placement compared to other solutions for a lack of teeth.

What will you learn in this article?

In this article, read about the following topics:

• What is a dental implant?
• How is a dental implant placed?
• Prerequisites for dental implant placement
• What kind of dental implants are there?
• Implants bridge All-on-4

What is a dental implant?

When we say “dental implant” we actually mean an artificial tooth root, made of titanium or zirconia-ceramic.

It does not in itself replace a lost tooth, but it is the most important component needed to replace it.

From a dental implant to a complete tooth

Just as a natural tooth must have the root and crown of a tooth, so an artificial tooth must have a root in the form of an implant and an artificial dental crown.

Therefore, the tooth on the implant consists of several parts:

• dental implant, as the root of a tooth
• Abutmetn, the part that connects the dental implant to the crown (sometimes not necessary)
• the crown of the tooth, made of metal-ceramic or pure, metal-free ceramic

How is a dental implant placed?

Dental implant placement is in itself a simple procedure that takes on average from 15 to 30 minutes.

However, in order to run successfully and achieve the expected results, the installation process needs to be planned in detail.

The following is a brief description of the phases when placing a dental implant. For a detailed description of the implantation procedure as conducted in the Apolonija Clinic, visit our website: “Implantation procedure in Apolonija”.

Step 1: Imaging and diagnostics

Based on 3D CBCT images and other X-rays the state of the mandible and implantation site will be analysed.

Step 2: Select the type and size of the dental implant

In accordance with the state of the bone, its size and density, the size is selected, and in agreement with the patient, the type of dental implant is selected as well.

Step 3: Implantation and placement of temporary prosthetic appliance

In some cases, the patient can receive a temporary prosthetic appliance right away and with some caution eat softer and chopped foods.

Step 4: Bone fusion and recovery

The dental implant must firmly fuse to the mandible. We call this process osseointegration. Osseointegration will require from 3 to 6 months.

Step 5: placing the permanent prosthetic appliance

After successful osseointegration and recovery, the permanent prosthetic appliance is placed, which is made of more durable and aesthetically higher-quality materials.

You can find a detailed description of the process of placing dental implants in our clinic on the website: “Implantation procedure in Apolonija”.

Prerequisites for dental implant placement

There is a series of prerequisites concerning the general and dental health condition of the patient, which are to be met prior to dental implant placement.

For example, people suffering from immunological diseases, pregnant women and persons of insufficient mandible quality must be further consulted, wait for implantation, or undergo pre-implantation preparation.

A detailed description of prerequisites for the installation of dental implants and how to solve all obstacles to implantation can be read on our website “Prerequisites for the placement of dental implants”.

What kind of dental implants are there?

Dental implants today are divided into metal and ceramic dental implants.

Metal dental implants are made of pure titanium, while ceramic ones are made of zirconium oxide.

While ceramic dental implants bring some novelty to dental implantology, titanium dental implants represent a reliable and proved solution.

More about titanium dental implants can be found on our website “Metal dental implants”.

Read about ceramic dental implants on the website “Metal-free dental implants”.

Fixed implant bridge, All-on-4

If you are missing a large part of the teeth of one jaw, or all the teeth of the jaw, you need a solution that will replace all teeth simultaneously.

Such situations are usually resolved with a denture or dental bridge.

Dentures can be made as an acrylate-Wironit-based prosthetic appliance that the patient can remove and return into their mouth.

However, there is also an implant solution that has a number of advantages over a classic denture: a denture on implants or a fixed bridge on implants  – “All-on-4”.

It is fixed, very stable implant-prosthetic solution which allows for undisturbed speech, mastication and laughing, and an overall more natural feeling and an easier process of habituation in comparison with a classic mobile denture.

Read more about the fixed implant bridge, All-on-4, on our website “All-on-4: fixed bridge implant”.

Have you found everything you wanted to know?

In this article you will learn more about dental implants. You may want to learn more about the following topics:

• Prerequisites for the placement of dental implants
• Metal dental implants
• Metal-free dental implants
• All-on-4: fixed implant bridge
• Dental implant procedure in Apolonija