Dental implants can provide you with a truly functional
and aesthetic alternative to missing or irreparably damaged teeth.
In years gone by, patients with many missing teeth have had no option but to wear dentures,
but thankfully dental implants have saved us from that.
I spoke to Doctor Rory Nolan to find out all about it.
How are you Rory?
Good afternoon, Mel, how are you?
Very well, thank you.
So tell me, what should people consider when they're going to get one or more teeth replaced
with dental implants.
Well, first of all we need to assess their suitability to have the procedure done.
So, we would look at their medical history and the state of their general dental health
to begin with, after which more specifically we'd look at the bone quality and volume at
the site of the dental implant placement.
There are many options when it comes to dental implants.
We can use one implant to replace one single missing tooth, or we can use multiple implants
to replace a whole missing arch of teeth.
In instances where we find the bone volume or quality to be inadequate we carry out what
is a routine procedure these days called bone grafting.
And what is bone grafting?
For the most part it's quite a straightforward procedure where you place some bone filler
around the implant which allows and encourages your own bone to grow into that area.
Bone augmentation is a highly specialized field requiring the clinician to have advanced
levels of formal training and clinical experience.
Does every patient require bone grafting?
The short answer is no.
But in determining that fact, many patients will require a 3D CT Scan to ascertain their
bone levels and bone volume.
The CT scan is done in our rooms using the latest in computer 3D imaging technology.
The scan is viewed on our digital screens and helps with the planning of precise implant
placement.
This technology allows us to place implants in a much safer and more predictable manner,
and ultimately what that will mean for the patients is that they will have a more aesthetic
and functional restoration placed.
Rory, can you explain what a sinus lift is all about?
A sinus graft, or sinus lift, is a procedure designed to add bone to the back of your mouth
and upper jaw.
The bone is added between your jaw and your auxiliary sinuses, which are the large air
pockets on either side of your nose.
To make room for the bone, the sinus membrane has to be moved upward or lifted.
And this has become a routine clinical procedure here in the practice for the last eight to
ten years for those patients who are missing multiple molar teeth in the upper jaw.
I also got to speak with Doctor James Van den Berg further about dental implants.
James, can you pinpoint the advantages of dental implants over fixed bridges?
An implant is fixed directly into the body and as such it is independent of the rest
of the teeth.
A bridge however is a joining of one or two teeth to fill the space.
This can lead to future requirement of root canal treatment or even tooth fracture of
a tooth that may not have needed any treatment in the first place, whereas an implant is
an independent unit and as such will only be effected if something goes wrong with that.
And James, what do you enjoy most about doing this type of treatment for your patients?
What I enjoy most is that I can take a patient who has got a tooth or a number of teeth that
are missing and I can replace their denture.
I can get them to throw it away.
So the patients end up aesthetically and emotionally and functionally back to where they were originally,
as opposed to where they were with the denture, which is they loose their sense of eating,
they lose their sense of taste, they often have to eat soft foods.
Whereas I can put them back to eating a normal diet.
They can smile and be happy with their smile and not be scared their denture's going to
fall out.
All those sort of issues.
And it's a genuine pleasure to do that for patients.