Dental Implants Smile In A Day

By Sivakumar Sreenivasan, DMD, MDS

Dental Implant Center of Rockville

. https://www.drsreeni.com/

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Dental Implants Smile In A Day

“Smile!” How often have we heard these words before a camera? It is most difficult to imagine life without teeth in the front of our mouth. We live in a society where to offer a smile along with a greeting is considered customary.

There are situations, however, that necessitate a need for removal of a front tooth or teeth. Some happen slowly and catch us by surprise decay between teeth that goes unnoticed until we begin to experience sensitivity or pain. Other times conditions such as gum disease or a genetic predisposition can cause mobility of teeth, which gradually affects the bone surrounding the teeth. Another situation is an accident bicycle/motor vehicle or a simple fall on the face with resultant broken front teeth.

The good news is that we can now have teeth taken out and replaced the same day with tooth or teeth that are fixed and do not need to be removed. This will not only allow one to walk out with a smile, but also prevents the embarrassment of a removable prosthesis that needs to be taken out at night.

Thanks to dental implants this has become possible and predictable. Dental implants serve as a foundation on which teeth can be designed and supported. In the past, this often involved a multi step process removal of tooth/teeth, bone graft, 4-6 months later, placement of implant and finally, another five months later, a tooth that is supported completely by the implants.

Today, thanks to innovative design and research by implant companies, it is possible to do all this in one day. Another option that most of you have heard of before is to have a bridge made. The only problem is that good teeth need to be sacrificed in the process of making the bridge, as the teeth on either side need to be ground down to support the new bridge. Now, let us look at some examples of missing or unrestorable front teeth.

Ms. S came in with a tooth that was fractured and needed to be extracted. The tooth was previously treated with a root canal and crown. She was very concerned about losing her front tooth and did not want to wear a flipper.

Thanks to the unique design of this angled implant, we were able to take the tooth out, place an implant and provide her with a temporary screwed/fixed tooth; and all of this, within 24 hours. She eventually had a permanent porcelain crown placed in five months. (see figure 1)

Mr. R came in with a different problem. He had an injury as a teenager to his front tooth. He had a root canal and crown done. Recently, the tooth started to move and an X-ray revealed that the tooth root was being dissolved by the body. He had the tooth removed and an implant placed immediately, with a temporary screwed-in crown. (see figure 2)

Now, let us look at Ms. C. She had a bridge done overseas over 20 years ago as she was congenitally missing two upper front teeth. Over the years, decay developed under the bridge and now, the bridge was loose as it was no longer supported.

She has a high smile line and was very concerned about wearing a removable partial denture that would show when she smiled. Thanks to the unique angled implants, we were able to take her teeth out and provide a temporary bridge within 24 hours.(see figure 3)

Dental implants are made from titanium and serve as foundation for tooth or teeth. Though they are metal, implants do not set off the security alarms at the airport. It is noteworthy, that the implants that were placed in the early 80's are still performing well, and it is therefore anticipated that if properly placed and restored, they can serve for many years.

Technological advances in imaging today allow for taking a scan in the office and with the Invivo software, we can not only see in detail the amount, quality and quantity of bone, but can also place the implants on the model in the computer. This plan can then be e-mailed for fabrication of a surgical guide stent that allows precise placement of implants as per the plan. We can see an example of such a case in Mr. A. He came in with broken front teeth that were supporting a bridge.

Teeth were extracted and three implants were placed. Two of the implants were used to support the fixed temporary bridge that was delivered within 24 hours. He is now awaiting the fabrication of the permanent bridge. (see figure 4)