IMPLANT APPLICATIONS IN DENTAL TREATMENTS

Dental implants are specially designed screw-like structures that are placed in the jawbone and imitate the natural tooth root in order to complete the missing tooth or to restore the function and aesthetics of the teeth. They are usually made of titanium. Titanium is a tissue-friendly material and fully bonds to bone. Today, dental implants are the best alternative to replace lost teeth, and the success rate in the 5-year follow-up period is as high as 95%.

Dental implants are a more satisfying treatment option for both the physician and the patient than other prostheses when applied in experienced hands and correctly. Implants can be applied in the treatment of single tooth deficiency, multiple tooth deficiency and total tooth deficiency.

In case of loss of a single tooth, the traditional method is to reduce two adjacent teeth and bridge that area. However, when an implant-supported restoration is made to replace the missing tooth, there is no need to cut the adjacent teeth and healthy dental tissues are preserved. When the hard structures of the teeth called enamel and dentin are cut and reduced, material loss occurs in at least two healthy teeth, gingival problems and bone recessions occur because it will be difficult to maintain hygiene in the connection places of the bridge and root. Since the adjacent teeth will meet the chewing forces of the lost teeth, the loads on the foot teeth increase and all these may result in the loss of the teeth.

Another important issue is the loss of lower face height. The distance between the jaw tip and the tip of the nose narrows due to wear on the teeth of the patients due to age. Oral Commisuras turn downwards and Marionet lines are formed. When planning the restoration of teeth, it is necessary to increase the vertical dimension. Although the commissuras are improved by regaining the vertical dimension, the established lines need to be restored with dermal fillers.

In the absence of more than one tooth, the missing areas are filled with either bridges or removable partial dentures, depending on the number and location of the missing teeth. If there is no natural tooth in front or behind the missing tooth, it is not possible to make a bridge. In this case, a removable prosthesis or implant can be made. By placing an appropriate number of implants on the missing tooth area, a fixed bridge will be built on it, other natural teeth in the mouth will be protected or the patient will not have to use removable prostheses.

The traditional treatment method in edentulous jaws is removable prostheses, but the limitation of taste and speech, the movement of the prosthesis during function create a very difficult situation for removable prosthesis patients. With fixed bridges placed on 6-8 implants placed in the jawbone or prostheses that sit on 2-4 implants with a snap mechanism, patients can get rid of the difficulties caused by removable prostheses.
As long as the general health condition is suitable, there is no upper age limit for implant application, but it is not preferred to be applied in very young patients who have not yet completed bone development, and the development is expected to be completed.
Evaluation of the medical condition of the patient who is planned to be implanted is very important in order to prevent possible complications. Implant can be applied in cases of diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, blood, liver, kidney, thyroid diseases, and cancer under control. The important thing here is whether the disease is under control or not. In uncontrolled diseases, the dentist who will make the implant and the patient's medical doctor exchange views, the disease is taken under control, and then the implant is planned. By evaluating the drugs used by the patient, some drugs such as blood thinners can be interrupted a few days before the implant application, or antibiotic use may be required as a preventive before the procedure.

In order for the implant to be placed, the jawbone must be of sufficient height and width. The quality of the bone in the area where the implant will be placed also affects the success of the implant. After tooth extraction, melting occurs in the toothless jawbone. In bridges and removable prostheses, the chewing forces are not transmitted directly to the bone, but since the implant is placed in the bone and imitates the tooth root, it transmits the chewing forces to the bone and these forces prevent the melting of the bone. For this reason, it is important to make an implant without losing much time after tooth extraction.
If the tooth extraction socket is suitable, the implant can be placed during the extraction session, or it may be necessary to wait until this area is filled with bone
UIn people who have been toothless for many years or have lost their jawbone for any reason, both the height and width of the bone may be insufficient for implant placement. In this case, additional surgical procedures are required to increase the amount of bone. By carrying bone from other parts of the patient to the area to be implanted, the amount of bone in this region can be increased, as well as synthetic, animal-derived or cadaver-derived bone materials can be used. These bone materials are made ready for use by being subjected to many processes and sterilized by standard procedures, and they are safe to use. In cases where these procedures are required, the treatment process is prolonged and a little more troublesome..
The operation is performed under local anesthesia, except in exceptional cases. The sterility of the working environment is one of the important factors affecting the success of the implant. The implant slot of the appropriate diameter and length for the jawbone is opened and the implant is placed. After the implant procedures, there may be slight pain, swelling and bruising on the face, bleeding in the form of pain may continue, but these problems disappear within a few days. It is often a simpler operation than tooth extraction, and many patients state that the pain after the procedure is milder than the pain experienced after tooth extraction.

An average of 3 months is waited for the connection of the implant and the bone to occur, and at the end of this period, the prosthesis is made and the implant is included in the chewing function. During the waiting period, a temporary prosthesis can be made to the patient and the patient will not have gone through this period without teeth.
The disadvantages of implant application include; the need for surgical intervention, the need for a waiting period for the bone and implant to fuse and the fact that it is a costly treatment alternative.

HFactors such as ancestral surgical practices, faulty prostheses, poor oral hygiene, clenching habit, smoking affect the success of the implant negatively and may cause the loss of the implant.
Since there are gingival and bone around the implant, just like the natural tooth, the undesirable conditions that occur in these tissues also affect the health of the implant. For this reason, attention should be paid to hygiene by considering the implant as a natural tooth, and a physician should be consulted for regular check-ups every 6 months. [ref:BaşkentÜnv.AnkaraHastanesi]