At An Dental, we have a team of dental surgeons to give you a dental implant/dental implants in a safe, clinically proven manner in the least possible amount of time……. so you never go toothless.
Before we do the dental implant, you will be assessed with CT scans (3-D scans) with high resolution and very low radiation to elucidate critical structures in the bone and gums to make sure the implants are placed in a very safe and optimal manner. Our clinic uses the KAVO OP3D and Focus CT scan and Xray machine. The KaVo OP 3D won the German Innovation Award in 2018, which represents an externally recognised sign of innovation and quality. This machine has low dose technology which makes it very safe for adults and even children if 3D imaging is needed.
We also do immediate implants and immediate provisionalisation of the implant so you never have to go toothless. The implant fixture may sometimes have an implant crown placed immediately after surgery. Of course, not everyone is a suitable candidate for this technique and it is dependent on your bone structure and type of bite. You will be carefully evaluated to see if you are a suitable candidate for this technique. We also use dental implant systems with a long-standing reliable history backed with scientific data to ensure longevity of your dental implant treatment.
All this to bring you a very natural-looking tooth or teeth so no one can tell it is not something you were born with!
You may also opt for sedation in our comfortable operating suite and wake up from a deep snooze in our “heal” room.
Dental implants are titanium posts that are positioned into the jawbone beneath your gums. Once in place, they allow your dentist to mount replacement teeth onto them.
People that have missing teeth, or teeth that have cracked and are unrestorable and need to be replaced. Of course, you need to be medically and dental healthy before we are able to place implants for you. Otherwise, the longevity of the dental implant will be affected.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25342349/
There are several options when you have to extract a tooth:
Your dental surgeon will give you numbing cream, then give you an injection to numb the area.
We tease the gums open and place titanium fixtures that are shaped like tooth roots into the jaw bone. If the missing tooth is in the back of the mouth and cannot be seen, a temporary protective cover screw is placed at the neck of the titanic fixture and the gums are sewn back in place to cover the head of the fixture.
We usually let the titanium screw heal and stick to the jawbone for 2 to 4 months then we fabricate the implant crown.
Sometimes, we also do immediate implants and immediate provisionalisation of the implant so you never have to go toothless. This means that the cracked or unrestorable tooth is extracted and the implant fixture placed at the same visit. We may also sometimes place an implant crown immediately after surgery. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002239130760014 Of course, not everyone is a suitable candidate for this technique and it is dependent on your bone structure and type of bite. You will be carefully evaluated to see if you are a suitable candidate for this type of treatment. This shortens the course of treatment and you never need a temporary restoration like a denture.
Sometimes though, the CT scan or clinical assessment will show that you do not have enough bone to anchor the implant. In that situation, we will need to enhance the bone volume to accommodate your dental implant.
The bone graft will be done in our comfortable operation suite. If you still feel nervous after our consultation though, you may also opt for sedation in our sedation friendly rooms and wake up from a deep snooze in our “heal” room.
A bone graft is a procedure done to enhance the volume of bone. The bone graft may be obtained from your own bone (autogenous graft), another person (allograft), from external porcine or bovine sources (xenograft) or a non-living material (alloplast). The grafts we use are usually particulate in nature.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29135351/?from_term=horizontal+ridge+augmentation&from_pos=2
Bone grafts are generally done when we need to enhance bone volume to accommodate a dental implant.
Dental implant fixtures need to be embedded and anchored in good bone so we need to increase bone volume for implants if the CT scan shows lack of bone.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/dental-implant-surgery/about/pac-20384622
We will first take a CT scan for you to determine how much bone is lost and how much bone needs to be replaced. We will sit down and discuss what type of bone graft material you will require. There are many different kinds and we can choose the bone graft depending on the size of the bone graft required and your preferences. There are some types of bone graft materials that come from animals. If you are vegan or have religious preferences, you may want to consider using your own bone or bone from a non-animal source.
Once you have decided, our dental surgeon will give you numbing cream, then give you an injection to numb the area.
We tease the gums open and create little holes in your bone bed to enhance bleeding. The bone graft you have chosen will be carefully applied to the area. We may also use a membrane, which is usually a sheet of collagen, to hold the bone graft in place. The gums are then stitched back into place.
You may wonder why we need to create little holes in your bone! This is a technique to enhance blood flow to the area so the newly grafted bone can form a nice stable blood clot. This blood clot will convert to nice new bone that will mesh with your native bone. And tadah ✨✨ more voluminous bone! There are many other techniques for bone grafting, but bone particulate grafts are the most common. If you want to nerd out, you can check out this article here.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30947846/?from_term=horizontal+ridge+augmentation&from_pos=1 You’re welcome!
If a temporary implant crown was placed on the same day as your implant fixture, it is crucial that you do not use the temporary crown to chew on anything. It is completely FOR SHOW till the implant fixture integrates and a permanent implant crown can be placed.
Activity: It is recommended that you restrict your activity the day of and the day after surgery. Typically, patients return to work or school the following day. It is in your best interest not to participate in any physical activity for at least two days following surgery. Avoid sleeping on the side where surgery was done. Smoking is not advised 7 to 14 days after surgery.
Medications: You may experience some discomfort as the local anaesthetic wears off. If a medication is prescribed or recommended, you are advised to take it as directed, even if you initially do not have much discomfort - it is much easier to prevent discomfort than it is to treat it once it occurs.
Swelling: Some swelling is normal following surgery and should reach its peak by 48 hours. For the first 24 hours following surgery, apply an icepack on your face, outside the operation site, for 15 minutes on/15 minutes off. A reusable ice bag or a frozen vegetable bag, wrapped in a soft towel, may be used as an ice pack. After the first 24 hours, warm, moist heat may be applied to the area to break down the blood clot. You may get a towel and wet with some warm water from a bowl or tap. Wring dry then apply to your face. Keeping your head elevated above your heart will also help. Most swelling can occur in the morning and up to 3 days after surgery. Avoid sleeping / laying on the side that surgery was performed.
Bleeding: A small amount of oozing for the first 24 hours following surgery is normal. If slight bleeding is noted gently apply moderate pressure to the area with gauze for 20 minutes. If you run out of gauze, get a caffeinated tea bag and run it under distilled or clean water. Squeeze dry and place it with compression onto the area with bleeding. The caffeine will cause the blood vessels to constrict an reduce bleeding. Don’t rinse too hard or spit forcefully! If bleeding cannot be controlled, contact An Dental at Tel 85889868.
Mouth Care: Please refrain from pulling on your lips and keep your TONGUE and fingers away from the surgical site. Minimizing post-surgical movement and trauma will help the site to heal faster and more effectively. Sutures have been placed and will either be removed in 1-2 weeks or resorb away on their own. The sutures may also become loose as the surgical site heals. Please refrain from smoking during the healing phase.
Diet: Avoid hot, spicy, brittle, or abrasive foods following surgery. Often a soft diet is best for the first 24 hours. Minimize chewing on the side where surgery was performed. A balanced diet is important for optimal healing.
Oral Hygiene: Refrain from brushing the surgical area until instructed. You have been given a prescription for Chlorhexidine. Beginning 24 hours after surgery, begin rinsing your mouth twice a day for 30 seconds. Also, do not eat or drink anything for 30 minutes following rinsing. Side effects of this mouth rinse may include staining and taste alterations, which are reversible.
Follow-up appointments: You will be scheduled to return to our clinic for a follow-up appointment at 1-2 weeks. This is a short appointment (20 minutes) and is very important. At this time, sutures may be removed and additional oral hygiene instructions given.
