1. Introduction

Dental implants are often considered to be a third set of teeth since they are extremely similar to our own teeth. Generally, a titanium implant is embedded into the alveolar bone through a surgical operation at the area of the missing tooth area. This creates a strong tooth root, which serves as the base for setting up a new crown on top of it.

Tooth loss can be caused by a variety of conditions, including tooth decay, periodontitis, developmental disorders, blunt force trauma, etc. Since the beginning of time, people have been looking for suitable tooth replacements, originally using such materials as ivory, wood, stone, and shells. Today however, thanks to the development of advanced technology, modern shanghai dental implants have become a trusted and important way to restore missing teeth. There are literally hundreds of implant system in the world now. At iSMILE, we rely exclusively on the Sweden’s Nobel Biocare, the world’s largest manufacturer of dental implant systems.

2. Illustration for the dental implant procedure and the introduction of the dentist

3. Frequently Asked Questions

1) What are the advantages of dental implants?

Generally speaking, there are three ways to restore missing teeth: removable dentures, a fixed bridge, and dental implants. The advantages of implants are:

• Attractive. After a tooth falls out, the gum line will shrink since there is no tooth root to support it any longer. This results in an elderly appearance regardless of actual age. As compared with removable dentures and a fixed bridge, dental implants can better solve this problem, restoring a more natural, attractive appearance.

• Protection of nearby teeth. A traditional fixed bridge typically requires neighboring teeth to be grinded down to fit and work well together. However, dental implants totally avoid the need for any grinding.

• Long-term solution. After being embedded, dental implants are stable and comfortable. Consequently, embarrassing situations, such as a denture suddenly falling out while eating or speaking, will never happen with implants.

Comparison of dental implants and a fixed bridge.

2) How painful is the operation for installing dental implants? Is it necessary to be hospitalized?

The surgery for dental implants requires only local anesthetics and hospitalization is completely unnecessary. Most patients who have received dental implants have expressed that any pain from the implant operation was less than from the prior tooth extraction. Some swelling of the gums and a tiny bit of discomfort may occur. Yet, most implant patients recover very quickly and go back to work one day later.

3) Will the appearance of the dental implants look natural?

Today’s dental implants are the cutting-edge technology in the field of modern dental prosthetics. In terms of appearance, comfort and function, implants usually exceed the expectations of the majority of patients. In fact, very few people can tell the difference between implants and real teeth.

4) What kinds of patients are unsuitable for dental implant surgery?

The vast majority of people are suitable for implant surgery. Exceptions include the following:

• While there is no upper limit on age, implants are not suitable for children and young people whose teeth are still growing and developing.

• Pregnant women should not receive implants during their pregnancy.

• Patients who have received a large number of radiation treatments must receive the permission of their radiation oncologist before receiving implants.

• An assessment report issued by specialists is necessary if a patient is suffering from an immune system disease or systemic bone lesions, taking antiprothrombin medicine, or suffers from an alcohol addiction.

Note that the service life of dental implants will be decreased for people who have habits of grinding their teeth, chewing too hard, or smoking. Nevertheless, there are still many successful examples of such patients.

5) What is the success rate of dental implants?

The medical research and statistical data indicate that the 10-year success rate is as high as 90% on the maxillary jaw and up to over 95% on the mandible. However, risks always exist on any operation, and the difficulty level of operation will be complicated if the patient has certain risk factors, including smoking, soft tissue inflammation and osteoporosis. In such cases, the result of the operation may be not as good as expected.

6) What will happen if the implant operation is a failure?

In the rare case of a failure, our professional dental dentist will first figure out the reason why the failure occurred. Once the reason is known, only then will the implant be re-embedded. Knowing and understanding what caused the failure is the key to preventing repeated failures from occurring again in the future.

4. Implant Success Stories

• Front incisor missing

Case A ) Front tooth on T21 fractured, extraction and implant immediately to fix

Case B ) Molar missing

• Couple teeth missing

Case A

Case B