Dental Implants

The placement of dental implants is a multi-step process that typically takes between 6 and 9 months to complete. It begins with a full diagnostic check-up, X-rays and a CBCT scan. Done by our restorative dentist and oral implantologist.

The first stage of oral surgery often involves a single tooth or teeth extraction. Oftentimes, the site of a dental implant still has an existing damaged tooth present. In order to prepare for placement of a dental implant, the existing tooth will need to be extracted. Our implant dentist who is a certified oral surgeon will perform the extraction so as to prepare the surgical extraction site perfectly to receive the tooth implant. More often than not, an "alveolar bone graft" (cadaver or synthetic bone) is placed to achieve a solid base of bone for the implant. This site will be allowed to heal for two to six months. For a site that has no tooth and bone loss is present, it will require a different bone graft that is placed on top of existing jawbone ("onlay bone graft"). This procedure is more common and usually requires about six or more months of healing. In some instances, when enough bone is present, the damaged tooth can be extracted followed by the dental implant placement procedure at the same appointment. This procedure is called "immediate implant" placement.

In the situation where an implant is to be placed in the maxilla (upper jaw) in the back or posterior region, sometimes the available amount of bone may be limited by the presence of the maxillary sinus (air-filled space found in the bones of the face). "Sinus augmentation" or "sinus lift" is performed by the implant dentist to raise the sinus floor and graft more synthetic bone into the sinus. This will make more bone available to support a dental implant.

Once adequate, strong bone is present, the site is ready for the implant. At the implant placement appointment, the dental implant (tooth root/teeth implant) is placed into the bone with special drills and tools. A "healing cap" or gum shaper is placed over the implant, the gum is stitched up, and the healing phase begins. During this healing phase, a temporary denture can be made to replace missing teeth for aesthetic purposes.
Healing time depends greatly on the quality of bone present, physical condition of the patient and presence or absence of any underlying conditions such as diabetes, thyroidism etc or presence of any habits such as smoking. Healing time is usually anywhere from three to six months. During this time, the implant becomes integrated with the bone. It's important to avoid placing any force or stress on the dental implant as it heals. Follow-up appointments to check the surgical site with the implant dentist are typically done to ensure that no infection exists and healing is taking place.

After the required healing period, the dental implant is tested to determine whether it is successfully taken up by the surrounding bone. Once this has been confirmed, a prosthetic component is connected to the dental implant via a screw. This component is called an "abutment." It will serve to hold the replacement tooth or "crown." The implant dentist will take an impression (mould) of this abutment in the mouth and have the implant crown custom-made to fit. The implant crown is either cemented (cement retained) on or secured with a screw to the abutment (screw retained).

This is one of the most common concerns for people thinking about having a dental implant. The majority of dental implants are placed under a normal dental local anaesthetic. Though the local anaesthetic injections can sting a little, we have systems in place to reduce the pain by numbing the area first with a mild numbing gel/spray, using very thin needles and warm anaesthetic agents. Once the anaesthetic agent takes effect, you will not feel anything sharp or painful at all throughout your treatment. You will feel some pressure and pushing during the procedure as well as some vibration during the drilling stage, but this will not be sharp or painful in any way. Once the anaesthetic has worn of you may need to take over-the-counter painkillers but is not unusual to have a very minimal level of pain or even no pain whatsoever. During the first few days after surgery, it's possible the gum may feel a little sore as it heals and you might wish to stick to soft foods that are easy to eat. With a single dental implant, you should be fine to go back to work the next day.

Implant surgery can be performed by any licensed dentist provided that the treatment follows the standard of care and is in the best interest of the patient. However, since implants are surgically placed in the jawbone, dental specialists who routinely perform surgery within the jawbone are the natural fit for implant surgery. At Therapeuo we have only the Best Dentist for Implants (a certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon) who treats all hard and soft-tissue diseases or defects including the extraction of teeth and jaw surgeries.

Once the implant has integrated fully into the jawbone, the next phase involves placement of the implant crown that will be supported by the implant. This is typically performed by our prosthodontist (dental specialist focused on tooth replacement).

With any surgery, there are always some risks and potential complications to you or to the success of a dental implant. Careful planning is important to ensure that you are healthy enough to undergo oral surgery and heal properly. Just like any oral surgery procedure, bleeding disorders, infections, allergies, existing medical conditions, and medications need careful review prior to proceeding with treatment. Fortunately, the success rate is quite high and failures usually occur in the unlikely event of infection, fracture of the dental implant, overloading of the dental implant, damage to the surrounding area (nerves, blood vessels, teeth), poor positioning of the dental implant, or poor bone quantity or quality. Again, careful planning with our implant dentist can help avoid these problems. In many cases, another attempt can be made to replace a failed dental implant after the requisite time for healing has taken place.

There are a few factors which make it necessary to wait for healing after tooth removal before a dental implant can be placed; the main factor being if there is any sign of infection. If infection is present prior to implant placement, we need to allow a healing phase of 8-12 weeks before we can place the dental implants.

There are some cases where we can go for Immediate Dental Implants and then cover with Immediate dental crowns or teeth, but that will depend on the suitability assessment done in the planning stage by our implant dentist.

Don't worry because you never need to have a gap if you don't want one – there are all sorts of temporary solutions, both fixed and removable, to make sure there is no embarrassment at any stage through the dental implant process.

Normally yes – We will do a comprehensive implant assessment of the mouth and jaw bone which includes, study models, photographs and most important the 3D CBCT Scan. We work with our experienced dental laboratories to give a long-term solution for our patients and reasonable costs for dental implants.

Very rarely we experience not enough bone to safely work with implants and then we have to consider bone grafting or alternative dental options for your rehabilitation.

Yes! We are highly experienced at this pinnacle of dental implant treatments. You do not need one implant per tooth and can actually have as few as four implants to replace all of the upper or lower teeth. These will be strategically placed by our implant dentist at a reasonable cost of the dental implant. There are a variety of options for the type of bridgework supplied which can either be removed by you or remain fixed in place

Absolutely yes! Dentures are most patient's nightmare due to difficulty in wearing them and the effect on all aspects of life. Partial dentures can be replaced with just a few teeth implants, or complete (full) dentures can either be held in position with dental implants, or of course replaced with implants all together – surely the most amazing dental transformation available. Implant supported dentures provide the much-needed stability and confidence that you need to eat and smile with ease.

For patients who have lost all their teeth due to decay or gum disease of the upper and/or lower arch, an option is available to provide a very stable and comfortable prosthesis using a minimal number of implants. One such is example is the "All-On- Four" or "All-on-Six" technique that was named by implant manufacturer Nobel Biocare. This technique gets its name from the idea that four or six implants can be used to replace all teeth in a single arch (upper or lower). The dental implants are strategically placed in areas of good strong bone, and a thin denture prosthesis is screwed into place. This is determined by proper treatment planning by our implant dentist for implants and our prosthodontist/restorative dentist for the prosthesis. The All-On-4 or All-on-6 technique provides teeth replacement that is stable (not removable) and feels like natural teeth compared to the older method of traditional (removable) complete dentures. Without a doubt, implant dentistry has allowed for more treatment options to replace single and multiple missing teeth with long-term stability and contributes to your improved oral health.

Yes, in some cases, our skilled dental implant surgeon can place an implant immediately after tooth extraction in the tooth socket, provided there is no infection around the area and if it meets with all the suitable criteria gone through the assessment by our implant dentist. It can then be covered with a temporary tooth till the healing takes place. But most of the times, it is better to wait for the healing to take place before placing teeth. Don't worry because you need never have a gap – there are several temporary replacement solutions available to make sure there is no embarrassment at any stage through the implant process.

If the dental implant integration is successful and the area is well cared for and maintained with regular reviews and monitoring by our dentist for implants, a dental implant should last a lifetime.
It is possible to chip a crown or bridge on implants in the same way that it is possible to chip a tooth and sometimes the outer screw over the implants may become loose which can be easily corrected by our implant dentist. We recommend annual reviews with x-rays to check the bone levels around the implants in addition to your regular check-ups with your implant dentist. We offer an annual review and you can enter in one of our membership plans with check-ups and hygiene sessions to take care of the treated area.

We know for a fact that smoking does affect both natural teeth and implants. For natural teeth, smoking increases the risks of gum disease. For dental implants, smoking slightly increases the risks of complications at every stage of implant treatment. We would recommend to stop smoking to reduce any chances of implant failure in the long run. The good news is that this increased risk if very slight and we successfully treat patients who are smokers every day at Therapeuo Dental.

The cost of a single dental implant can vary depending on the region and who is performing the procedure. A conservative cost estimate for a single dental implant without any grafting procedures or additional surgical procedures is Rs. 45000 to Rs. 60000. This cost includes the surgery for placement of an implant, all the components for dental implant placement, and the implant crown. You can be rest assured that all the surgical procedures will also be done only by experienced dentist for implants (oral and maxillofacial surgeons) and the restorative procedures by our in-house prosthodontist and restorative dentist.