If you have a tooth or teeth that are missing your dentist may recommend a dental implant. A dental implant is a tooth that is permanently placed in the jaw bone. This procedure has it benefits and risks.

Dental implants are done when the root of the tooth and the tooth are both gone. The dentist can place an artificial root into the gum and then put a tooth on it. Dental Implants have been around for a long time, but were rarely successful. The implant was usually rejected from the jawbone with unfortunate results. When implants were first being done the implant material was usually a steel or some other product that was not compatible to the jaw bone. Many times it would just fall out, other times it would cause an infection in the jaw bone.

In Sweden, studies were done to test various implant materials in the mouths of animals. They found that titanium implants had the best success rate and actually adhered to the bone after they had healed. Research continued on animals to refine the surgery and discovery what shape the titanium post should be and how long the healing process would need to be. These implants are called Branemark implants and have been approved by the FDA in the United States. Many other companies have now designed implants that are similar to the Branemark and the success rate of dental implants has increased to the point where it is quite uncommon for a failure; unless the dentist is negligent.

Procedures must be followed very carefully to have a successful implant. The implant surgery is done in two stages. First the dentist will insert the titanium post into the jaw by drilling a hole and inserting the titanium post. He will open up the gum and then suture it closed when the implant is placed in the hole. The dentist now will wait three to six months to allow the jaw bone to heal and make sure that the implant is accepted by the bone. If the implant is not loose and has successfully “married” to the bone the restorative tooth will be placed on the titanium post.

Implants, if they are successful, are like having a permanent tooth. It can allow a patient who might have lost an anchor tooth to continue being able to have a bridge or just partial dentures. Sometimes implants are the only answer for people who have lost all their teeth and can not wear dentures. They are expensive and time consuming to have done, but to many people it is worth it.

Only have a qualified dentist do your implants. You must research and find out how many implant surgeries the dentist has done; talking to previous patients. Contact the American Dental Association to see if your dentist has been reported.

Most dentists are not qualified to perform dental surgery, having only a weekend training seminar put on by the manufacturers of the implants. The dentist will get paid more if he can convince more patients to have the surgery. Many times a dentist will be hasty and sloppy causing the patient to pay for the implants when they don’t even take. The dentist gets to keep the money he made for the implant surgery and then he makes more money finding an alternative for the patient. He wins, even if the patient loses. A reputable dentist is your best defense in being successful, as this surgery requires a great level of skill and knowledge.

The risks of dental implant surgery are usually the result of dental negligence. If your dentist does not allow the bone and gum to heal they will not “take”. If you go in with an abscessed or infected tooth and your dentist pulls the tooth and does not wait for the infection to go away, he will push the bacteria into the jaw bone. There have been cases where this has happened and the jaw becomes so infected that it needs to be taken out. This is called osteomyelitis of the jaw and is a horrendous result of an implant surgery gone wrong.

Another consideration your dentist must make, and be honest with you about, is if your jaw can hold a titanium post. Not everyone can have implants. Some people who have been missing a lot of teeth for a very long time, don’t have enough quality bone that can hold a titanium post. It is a good idea for a dentist to do a CT scan to determine if you are a good candidate for implants. For some reason dentist are finding that implants put in the bottom jaw “hold” better than those on the top jaw. So take this into consideration if you need a top jaw implant.

All in all, if you have an experienced dentist, you will find there are many more advantages to having dental implants compared to disadvantages.