Who is suitable for dental implants? Precautions before and after the procedure and possible aftereffects

Missing teeth cause many problems in people's lives, and the rapidly developing artificial dental implant technology requires no damage to adjacent teeth, and in both function and appearance it restores natural teeth to a very high degree, earning it the reputation of being humanity's third set of teeth in the 21st century, after primary and permanent teeth.

Who is suitable for dental implants?

Dental implants require the patient to be in good general health, with no severe systemic diseases, sound physical and mental health, and bones and teeth that have finished developing. Generally, healthy adults can undergo dental implants. For older people, as long as they are in good health and can tolerate surgery such as tooth extraction, age is not a problem. For patients who are too young, under 18 years old, because the jawbone has not finished developing, it is better to wait until growth and development have stopped before having dental implants. Some patients with special chronic diseases, such as uncontrolled diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, blood disorders, osteoporosis, and patients who need radiotherapy after oral cancer surgery, are not suitable for immediate implant restoration.

In addition, patients who have recently had a tooth extracted need to wait for the extraction wound to heal and for the implant bed bone to have good shape and quality before implant surgery can be performed; generally this requires more than three months after extraction. If the patient has had surgery or trauma to the jawbone or alveolar process, at least six months must have passed, and the patient is required to have good oral hygiene, no bad habits such as bruxism or smoking, no obvious inflammation or other lesions in the oral soft and hard tissues, healthy oral mucosa, and attached gingiva of sufficient thickness in the implant area. Dental implants are especially suitable for patients who have high requirements for prosthetic restoration but whose needs cannot be met by conventional restoration; or patients with complete tooth loss for whom traditional restoration results are poor; and also patients whose traditional removable dentures have poor retention and no function, or whose mucosa cannot tolerate them.

In most cases, dental implant surgery is not a major operation and can be completed under local anesthesia. Only when the patient's alveolar bone condition is poor and bone grafting is needed, or when many teeth are being implanted, is surgery performed under general anesthesia. Each patient's tolerance for pain also differs. Generally speaking, the degree of pain after implant surgery is similar to that after tooth extraction.

Are dental implants a once-and-for-all solution?

Before surgery, many patients ask: dental implants are so expensive, can they be used for a lifetime, or how many years can they last after implantation? The answer varies from person to person. If oral hygiene is poor and periodontitis occurs, the implant may become loose because of periodontal inflammation. Generally speaking, the ten-year survival rate of dental implants is around 80%. To extend the service life of dental implants, patients should visit a licensed dental hospital, use the implant correctly according to medical advice, carry out proper later maintenance, maintain oral hygiene, and have regular checkups on time. It is worth mentioning that because the area around the implant lacks the rich sensory nerve endings of natural teeth, it is more prone to damage when subjected to abnormal chewing forces, so hard objects should be avoided, such as nuts in shells and bones.

With the continuous improvement of quality of life, many patients are constantly looking for the best shortcut for replacing teeth. At present, implant-supported dentures for replacing missing teeth have become very popular, especially for middle-aged and older people who have long been troubled by traditional dentures; dental implants are a good choice.

Tang Chunbo

Doctor of Stomatology, chief physician, associate professor, and deputy director of the Department of Implant Restoration at Jiangsu Provincial Stomatological Hospital, standing committee member of the Oral Plastic and Aesthetic Branch of the Chinese Association of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, and editorial board member of the journals Stomatology and Oral Biomedicine.

Specialties: has worked in prosthodontics for twenty-six years and has conducted in-depth research on oral implant restoration. Skilled in the restoration of various implant-supported dentures as well as conventional dentures such as porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns and bridges, complete dentures, and precision attachment restorations.

Clinic hours: all day every Tuesday and Friday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings