Dentistry Dental Implants

New Dental Implants: Now, Faster than Ever

By Paul McLeod

Published on April 16, 2007

It used to be that getting a dental implant was like having a baby: it took months of time, required a lot of work, and really, really hurt. Dental implants, which give the patient a very natural looking artificial tooth in place of a missing or removed natural one, have been a wonderful advance in oral healthcare over the past few decades, but there’s no denying that having one put in is something of an ordeal. Fortunately, new technologies have been springing up to make the implant a more patient-friendly dental option.

The most noticeable improvement offered by new dental implant technologies is that they allow the whole process to be completed in just one visit. Immediate dental implants, such as those developed by Sargon® Dental Implants and Nobel Biocare, are constructed to seat themselves in the bone right away without waiting for the bone to heal around them. Thus, the dentist can attach the crown to the titanium implant root on the day of insertion and bite loads may be applied to the replacement tooth almost immediately. Eliminating the months-long waiting period while osseointegration (the gradual fusion of bone to titanium) occurs has many obvious benefits for the patient, both functional and aesthetic. With the success rates for these treatments rising, dental patients can expect to see them become more widely available.

Another advance in dental implants comes in a smaller package; in fact, size is the whole point. Mini dental implants (MDIs), developed by Dr. Victor Sendax and IMTEC Corporation, have already become established as an aid to denture users. In a typical treatment, four to six mini implants, which are much smaller than their conventional forebears, are inserted into the gums in one brief visit. The patient’s existing dentures, if suitable, are then retrofitted with sockets that fit onto the heads of the implants. As with immediate load implants, the MDIs are ready to begin functioning the very same day of installation. The dentures are held firmly in place during use, but can still be removed for cleaning and replaced by the patient with ease. The results, with respect to both cosmetics and health, are almost always very pleasing.

In addition, mini implants are gaining acceptance as an alternative to traditional implants for single-tooth replacements and as supports for dental bridges. Evidence so far demonstrates that they are able to withstand the rigors of time and chewing to a very high standard. Since MDIs require less pain, less healing time, and especially less cost, they are bound to find broader applications as time goes by. That can only be good news for those in need of major tooth reconstruction. Now if only we could do the same for expecting mothers…

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Keyword Tags: dental implants, restorative dentistry

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Comments

1

I regret paying so much money for braces (as an adult) and having fixed bridge work ($5200) when they now have the mini inplants. My gums & bone structure are in good shape, but this was never offered to me. I have poor dental insurance, and have to pay out of pocket every time I go into the dentist. Sick of it. Why on earth is it so expensive? Maybe more people would go into the dentist for regular checks if it were free, and repairs needed were more afforable...it's rediculous, the cost.
I had a horrible experience with the 1st time I ever went to a dentist, and it's stuck with me my entire life. The last dentist I had, I had for 16 yrs. He was excellent. Unfortunatley, the husbands insurance changed, and I ended up with Delta Dental. They don't want to pay for anything. It only makes good common sense for dentists to reduce costs to people who do not have insurance, or NOT chrge them at all...they always preach good dental hygiene, but give no one a break. Maybe they'd be afraid of going otta business, if they offered a reduced rate to those of us who struggle to pay out of pocket. More people would go to the dentist if it weren't so damned expensive. I can't afford to have my teeth cleaned more than once a yr...I have to pay to get numbed, as I cannot handle oral pain. The braces made my teeth hyper sensitive......something Orthodontists don't tell their adult patients.

Debbie
about 1 year ago

2

I couldn't agree more. I just had two kids with braces, $5,200.00 each. The funny thing is it seems every kid now has braces, neither of my kids had "bad" teeth. I also had horrible dental experiences as a kid, and am very dental phobic, but the real reason I don't go is I need major work-4or5 implants, at 3k each-Thats 15k!!! I may as well be 15 million-two kids in college. My dentist wanted me to spend 3k on one tooth that was all fillings, not to do an implant but to "save" it. Well it ended up completely breaking off at the gum line about one month after he suggested the "saving" Glad I passed on his offer. The funny thing is I have "full dentalinsurance with all riders" through Anthem, what a joke-they paid 1300 of the 10,400 total of the braces (plus two additional lost retainers for 275 each after....I honestly feel it is total GREED on the part of the dentists...Sorry, but I believe that.

Michael
about 1 year ago

3

I certainly sympathize about the cost of certain dental procedures, but expecting dentists who trained for years to simply provide their services to all for free is pretty ridiculous--this isn't a socialist country, after all. And even in the UK where people have National Health Services available to them many people are so dissatisfied with the quality of NHS dental care they travel to other countries to have dental work performed (similarly, many US citizens travel to Mexico for certain dental treatments). If anything, the US government should expand health services supplied to low-income families or provide dental care vouchers for regular checkups and cleanings.

Aaron Poehler
about 1 year ago

4

I'm 24, married, and with one child. No one taught me how to shop for insurance nor was i taken to a dentist regularly as a child... Now I'm having a great deal of trouble finding help to get my teeth fixed.. and I need gum treatments.. but can't find anything affordable. I'm really scared for my health and feel like i'm wondering around in the dark. I wish they would've taught us how to go about doing such in school

Felisha
about 1 year ago

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