As dental implants become increasingly popular, different implant systems are being manufactured. Although as the materials used as well as the designs continue to evolve, the different types of implants are still most commonly categorized either by procedure used or the design and placement of the implant.
In terms of placement and designs, implants can either be placed within the bone or on top of the bone.
Endosteal dental implants london (endo meaning within and osteal which means composed of bone) are the most commonly used type of implants. They are directly implanted in the jaw bone and come in screw, cylinder and blade forms. If a patient does not want to have bridges or removable dentures, this can be used instead.
The other type of dental implant is what we call subperiosteal implants. These implants consist of a metal framework and are placed inside the gum and seated on or just right above the bone. What makes these different from endosteal implants is that they protrude from the gums and hold the final restoration.
Subperiosteal implants are best for patients who have shallow or insufficient jawbone and cannot or do not want to undergo the additional procedure to regain the required bone height. Most of these patients include elderly people whose jawbones have decreased through time but still want to have dentures. In this regard, subperiosteal implants have an edge over the endosteal implants as they can securely hold dentures in place. This denture retention ability is achieved through attachment of posts to the fixed frame in the jawbone.
Implants can be placed by either using a single-stage or a two-stage method. The single stage method most commonly uses the subperiosteal implants. These implants are longer and placed in the jaw bone. After stitching the implant site, the head of the implant can be seen visible above the gum. Once this heals, the abutment and the final restoration (such as crowns, bridges and even dentures) can now be placed with no additional procedures needed to expose the implant head.
The two-stage method is the currently the most commonly used method and uses endosteal implants. The dental implant is placed inside the jaw bone underneath the gums and the site is closed with stitches to promote healing, prevent infection and promote the fusion of the bone to the implant. Once the healing period is over, the site is reopened through a minor surgery and the abutment and a temporary restoration is placed.
A faster method has been in existence since the 80s called immediate loading. After extraction of the tooth, the implant, the abutment and the crown is immediately placed in the extraction site. While this saves chair time and greatly enhances patient satisfaction, it is not for everybody. This type of method needs sufficient amount of bone volume and quality to produce the best results. The specialist implant dentist also needs to be highly trained and have sufficient experience and skills to do the implant.
As with any treatment, a thorough evaluation of your case will enable your dentist to present the best treatment choices and implant type suited for your needs...read more
