Contents
Teeth implants have become a viable option for most people when it comes to missing teeth. Tooth loss is usually the result of trauma caused by accidents, disease and, in many cases, aging. There has been an evolution over time, and with technological advancements, the treatment is becoming better, last longer and looks more authentic. The treatment involves a lot of factors that lead to the success or the failure of the implants.
Historical background of Dental Implants
Dental Implants are not something new. They date back to ancient Egypt, where they used bone and shell-carved teeth to replace missing teeth. Throughout archeological findings, Native Americans, Middle Eastern and the Mayan Society were also found to have used dental implants in Brisbane of shell, bone or gold, (Gaviria et al., 2014).
As time has gone on, dental implants have evolved and led to the discovery and development of osseointegration. This is the integration between titanium and bone. It was discovered by a Swedish orthopedic surgeon, Per-Ingvar Branemark (Gaviria et al., 2014). This rebuilding of the jawbone is then used as the foundation for prosthetic teeth.
The quality of materials and the technique has since improved, and this method is being adopted throughout the world. As it gets better and better, more people opt for dental implants to replace their missing tooth or teeth.
Challenging Factors for Dental Implant treatment
In research from Misch (2004), he claims that implant dentistry is one of the unique procedures because no matter how bad the damage is due to disease, injury or age, it can be achieved. There have been significant success rates with dental implant treatment over the decades to support this despite what might seem like adverse conditions of the patient.
Hammerle and Glauser (2004) support this theory even when systemic factors are against dental implant treatment. It is still very possible to overcome them and go ahead and have successful dental implants.
In their paper, Hammerle and Glauser (2004) talk about gathering all the medical history for each patient beforehand, so they know any underlying issues one might have. These issues may affect the process of healing of the jawline and, in turn, the failure of the treatment.
Systemic factors include rheumatoid arthritis, osteomalacia or disorders like osteogenesis. These conditions are high risk and can lead to implants not taking in the long run. However, despite these odds, dental implants can be successful if suitable measures are taken.
Other conditions that are risk factors are severe diabetes and bleeding disorders. These can cause quite a challenge when it comes to surgery and the dental implant healing process, and the proper precautions must be taken to keep them under control to have a successful implant (Hammerle & Glauser, 2004).
This shows that no matter what condition the patient is in, there is hope for dental implants still being viable for replacing missing teeth.
Dental implants are a popular and effective way to replace missing teeth and are designed to blend in with your other teeth. The cost of dental implants can vary greatly depending on the complexity of the case and other factors.
Generally, a single dental implant can range from $5,000 to $7,500. The cost of a full set of dental implants can range from $7,000 to $90,000. Your dentist can provide you with a more accurate cost estimate based on your individual needs.
What determines the success of dental Implants?
With any dental implant procedure, there are chances of both success and failure. According to Steigenga et al. (2003), the long term success of dental implants is determined by the dental implant design, the quality and strength of the osseointegration, the bone-implant interface and all these things’ relationship with each other. Each case differs but with advancements in clinical dentistry, more and more treatment options have led to success.
Factors that affect the success of an implant may include the bone volume. If an implant has to be about 10mm short, then there might be a chance that it will fail. Bone density is also critical because it will not hold the prosthesis if it is of poor quality. Different implants respond differently in different areas of the mouth, and this goes individually for each patient. According to Steigenga et al. (2003), all this can be rectified by modifying the implant body and the implant surface. This study again shows many options can be taken to ensure the implant’s success.
Failures of dental implants
In research from Klinge et al. (2018), the estimated number of dental implants sold worldwide is ranging between 12-18 million implants. That is an impressive number as it shows that dental implant treatment is a popular choice and one that many rely on to restore lost teeth.
However, with any procedure, there are failures. Studies have shown that the leading cause of implant failure (where the implant ends up removed) is due to the patient’s negligence or bad habits. Studies were done by Vehemente et al.(2002), showing that most patients who got dental implant treatments, even though they had systemic conditions their implants did not fail because of that but due to tobacco use.
Twito and Sade (2014) also supported this conclusion, saying, “Implant failure rate was higher among smokers, 135 out of 2,406 (5.6%), compared to nonsmokers, 185 out of 5,259 (3.5%), p < 0.001.” Patients need to take a break from smoking before and after their implants to give the jawline time to heal. Good oral hygiene is also a measure that needs to be taken seriously not to affect the implant.
Ratings for Dental Implant
With every new form of treatment, there is always scepticism. According to research, dental implant treatment was initially only approached by those who had the resources and time to give it a go (Machuca et al., 2020). It was not something that many would consider. However, with time this has changed.
Topçu et al. (2017) studies showed that the more dental care became aware of the social well-being of the patient, how tooth loss can affect mental health and quality of life, the more dental implants as treatment gained more traction. Giving back a patient their smile boosts their self-confidence and their social life.
Dental implants as treatment have become so widely appreciated that people will go to different lengths to restore their teeth. Most will even travel overseas to try and have their dental implant surgeries. Barrowman et al. (2010) did a further study into this. They show how popular dental implant treatment can be, but very expensive in Australia. People resort to taking risks with overseas surgeries. This, unfortunately, is not always the best option, and there are cases where patients have had terrible outcomes.
In conclusion
Dental implants have been around for centuries and have evolved to what they are today. Due to technological advancements, they have become better, more functional, and improve quality of life. The success rate increases with each day, and it has become an option open to many. Patients need to follow the recommendations made to them so that the implants last longer and do not fail.
Citations:
Barrowman, R., Grubor, D., & Chandu, A. (2010). Dental implant tourism. Australian Dental Journal, 55(4), 441–445. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1834-7819.2010.01267.x
Gaviria, L., Salcido, J. P., Guda, T., & Ong, J. L. (2014). Current trends in dental implants. Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, 40(2), 50. https://synapse.koreamed.org/articles/1091825
Hammerle, C. H. F., & Glauser, R. (2004). Clinical evaluation of dental implant treatment. Periodontology 2000, 34(1), 230–239. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.0906-6713.2003.003434.x
Klinge, B., Lundström, M., Rosén, M., Bertl, K., Klinge, A., & Stavropoulos, A. (2018). Dental Implant Quality Register-A possible tool to further improve implant treatment and outcome. Clinical Oral Implants Research, 29, 145–151. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/clr.13268
Machuca, C., Vettore, M. V., & Robinson, P. G. (2020). How peoples’ ratings of dental implant treatment change over time? Quality of Life Research, 29(5), 1323–1334. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11136-019-02408-1
Misch, C. E. (2004). Dental Implant Prosthetics – E-Book (1st ed.). Mosby.
Steigenga, J. T., Al-Shammari, K. F., Nociti, F. H., Misch, C. E., & Wang, H. L. (2003). Dental Implant Design and Its Relationship to Long-Term Implant Success. Implant Dentistry, 12(4), 306–317. https://journals.lww.com/implantdent/fulltext/2003/12040/dental_implant_design_
and_its_relationship_to.11.aspx
Topçu, A. O., Yamalik, N., Güncü, G. N., Tözüm, T. F., El, H., Uysal, S., & Hersek, N. (2017). Implant-Site Related and Patient-Based Factors With the Potential to Impact Patients’ Satisfaction, Quality of Life Measures and Perceptions Toward Dental Implant Treatment. Implant Dentistry, 26(4), 581–591. https://peerj.com/articles/546/
Twito, D., & Sade, P. (2014). The effect of cigarette smoking habits on the outcome of dental implant treatment. PeerJ, 2, e546. https://peerj.com/articles/546/
Vehemente, V. A., Chuang, S. K., Daher, S., Muftu, A., & Dodson, T. B. (2002). Risk Factors Affecting Dental Implant Survival. Journal of Oral Implantology, 28(2), 74–81. https://meridian.allenpress.com/joi/
