The rapid development of medicine has brought good news to patients with missing teeth, and [dental implants] have gradually entered people’s vision. However, for ordinary people, there are still many misunderstandings about dental implants. Today, let’s learn about dental implants together.
Is what a dental implant?
Some people say: [Dental implants, As the name implies, It is to plant a seed in the place where the teeth are missing in one’s mouth. Then the seed sprouts and grows a new tooth. This is a dental implant.] If you think so, That would be wrong. There is no doubt that, It is the hope of all doctors to plant a seed where there are missing teeth and then grow new teeth. It is also a hot research direction for scientists in the field of stomatology, but as far as the current medical level is concerned, it is still far from reaching such an ideal state. Since dental implants are not teeth grown from seeds, is what dental implants?
Fig. 1 schematic diagram of dental implant
Human teeth grow in bones, Gums are attached to the outside of the bone. What we can see in the oral cavity is the part above the gum that is exposed in the oral cavity and we call it the crown. However, The loss of teeth means that, Whether it is the crown we can see in the oral cavity, Or the supporting root hidden in the bone, All missing together. So, To have a firm tooth that can perform chewing function where the tooth is missing, It is necessary to obtain a new support in the bone to withstand great chewing force. Dental implants are in the area where we have missing teeth. Remove a certain volume of bone, Then the [implant] made of titanium metal is implanted into the bone. After three months, after waiting for the implant to survive firmly in the bone, the shape and function of the teeth are restored with porcelain teeth on top of the implant. Therefore, dental implant is a restoration method of missing teeth in which the [implant] replaces the natural root and porcelain teeth restore the crown.
Dental implants are the best way to repair missing teeth.
Dental implants are often considered the best way to repair missing teeth. There is some truth in this statement. To understand the reason, we must first understand the traditional restoration methods. Before the advent of dental implants, there were generally two traditional restoration methods for missing teeth: one was removable dentures and the other was fixed porcelain teeth.
Fig. 2 Prosthesis of removable dentures
1. Movable teeth the so-called movable teeth are plastic dentures connected to metal, and then the metal parts are stuck on the remaining natural teeth to repair the missing parts. The advantages of movable dentures lie in less damage to the remaining tissues in the oral cavity, but at the same time movable dentures have many limitations, including:-need to be picked and worn every day, cleaning, which is often difficult for young people to accept; -The initial wearing has obvious strange feeling, which requires a certain adaptation period; -In cases of missing incisors, Because of the existence of steel wire, Its aesthetics is affected, This makes its use greatly limited. 2. Fixed bridge the so-called fixed bridge, It refers to grinding off some of the natural teeth at both ends of the missing teeth. Obtaining the same fixing effect as a pier, Then make hat-like porcelain teeth, Together with the porcelain teeth in the missing area, Covered on ground natural teeth, After bonding, it functions. So, The fixed bridge has various advantages such as easy cleaning, no need to take off and wear, no foreign body sensation and the like, However, in order to make a fixed bridge, the natural teeth at both ends of the missing tooth area must be ground out before the final restoration can be completed, which is a kind of injury to normal natural teeth, so this has become the most common concern when patients choose.
Figure 3. Fixed repair
However, dental implants not only avoid the shortcomings of movable dentures such as inconvenient removal and wearing, difficult cleaning, obvious foreign body sensation, etc., but also avoid the damage of fixed porcelain bridges to natural teeth, so they are very popular.
Limitations in the Application of Dental Implants
However, not all missing teeth are suitable for dental implants.
1. Patients’ own conditions
Dental implants have certain requirements for the patient’s own conditions, including the bone mass in the missing tooth area, the space left for restoration in the missing tooth area, the health degree of the remaining natural tissues in the patient’s oral cavity, the patient’s oral hygiene habits, the patient’s overall health status, etc.
2. Patient’s economic condition
At the same time, as a new oral technology, Since the implant embodiment mostly uses pure titanium or titanium alloy, Precision and accuracy are required for fabrication, Therefore, the price is relatively expensive, and the price of implants on the market now ranges from 6,000 to 25,000 yuan per piece because the equipment used in various hospitals and clinics is not used, plus the price of porcelain crowns exposed to the oral cavity, the total price ranges from 7,000 to 30,000 yuan per piece. Therefore, because its price is not very close to the people, dental implants are also limited in application and popularization.
Dental implants have many advantages as a new method to repair missing teeth, But it is expensive, And there are certain requirements for the patient’s own conditions, so it is not suitable for every patient. What kind of repair method is suitable for patients with tooth loss, or do you want to go to the hospital to listen to the doctor’s specific analysis of each patient and give advice, and determine the best scheme after discussing with the patient, so as to obtain the most satisfactory effect.