Crown on implant

The implant to replace one or more missing teeth

Dental implants can be considered as a treatment plan when a patient has one or more missing teeth. A dental implant alone cannot replace a missing natural tooth. An abutment must be placed on the implant once it is inserted into the jawbone. Depending on the number of teeth to be replaced, an artificial crown, prosthesis or bridge will be made and placed on the abutment. If the patient has only one missing tooth, a simple crown is sufficient. If several teeth are to be replaced, there are many choices: use a single implant with several crowns fused to a bridge or prosthesis, or use several implants with separate crowns. This choice is up to the patient, according to the treatment plan recommended by the implantologist.

An in-clinic procedure under local anesthesia

The installation of dental implants is a surgical procedure that is usually performed under local anesthesia in a clinic or office in a room specially designed for this type of procedure.

Several dental health professionals are qualified to install dental implants: some dental surgeons, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, periodontists and other dental specialists. These professionals must have extensive training in dental implant placement to call themselves implant specialists. Dental professionals who specialize in making crowns, bridges and dentures that are installed on implants are often general dentists.

The benefits of dental implants

When a patient is missing one or more teeth, dental implants offer multiple advantages over other treatments involving removable dentures.

• Implants allow for the placement of fixed (which the patient cannot remove) or removable (which the patient can remove) dentures.
• They are more comfortable and discreet because they do not cause unpleasant friction or movement on the gums as with non-implant-supported removable dentures. Some implant-supported dentures may not even cover the palate at all.
• No unpleasant adhesives (glue) are required to hold implant-supported dentures in place.
• Implants provide greater stability of the artificial teeth, making it easier for the patient to chew and digest, and improving comfort and speech.
• The patient does not have to adjust his or her diet.
• Implants allow the chewing forces to be distributed evenly between the implants and the adjacent structures (gum, bone and remaining teeth) in the mouth, which helps to reduce the stress on these structures. In cases where healthy teeth are still in the mouth, the patient can expect to be able to keep these remaining teeth longer than if no implants were placed and the space created by the missing teeth remained vacant.
• Implants help maintain the volume of alveolar bone (the bone around the teeth) by preventing its resorption where teeth are missing. When a tooth is no longer in the mouth, the part of the alveolar bone that held it in place is no longer stimulated when the patient eats and it gradually deteriorates.
• Implants do not require a change in the shape of the adjacent teeth or the loss of part of the enamel of these same teeth to support them as in the case of a traditional bridge.
• Implants give the impression of having natural teeth, both aesthetically and functionally, because they act as an artificial root anchored in the jawbone, like a natural tooth root. The patient can therefore regain the natural features of his or her face that were affected by the loss of several teeth.
• The two main components of an implant, the artificial crown and the implant itself, will not be affected by tooth decay.
• Once osseointegration is complete, implants rarely need to be replaced and therefore offer a reliable long-term solution. Despite its high initial cost, a dental implant is a good investment because of its long life span.

The costs of dental implants

The costs of dental implants are divided into two categories:

• The cost of the surgery during which the dental implants and abutments are inserted into the patient’s jaw;
• The cost of the prosthetic restoration, which is the making of the crown, bridge or prosthesis that will attach to the implant abutment.

The price of dental implants varies according to your health condition

Each patient’s situation is unique and only your dentist and/or a specialist can provide a precise cost for a treatment plan, but you should expect to pay up to several thousand dollars for dental implants. Dental plan beneficiaries may have some or all of these costs reimbursed depending on their dental insurance coverage.