Dental Implants and Bone Grafting Surgery

• Overview
• Procedure
• FAQ

What is a dental implant?

Dental implants are surgically inserted in the jawbone and then allowed to healed. After healing and osseointegration has taken place, the crowns or artificial teeth can then be fitted onto the titanium posts which the implants functions almost like the roots of the teeth in the natural situation. It is the most natural replacement to missing teeth in dentistry. Dentures sit on the gums or mucosa and can only supply up to 25% of the natural bite force and after a while it causes bone to thin down, the fit becomes less accurate and gradually the denture becomes loose and needs replacement. The plastic cover of the denture base can cause less taste sensation and decreases the pleasure of eating. Bridges require adjacent teeth to support the missing teeth and can result in gum problems of the natural teeth and caries which may result in the lost of more teeth. The undersurface of bridges are difficult to clean and gradually the supporting teeth will give way because of poor hygiene. Patients with dental implants often find more bite force, better chewing of food and more natural sensation of eating.

Advanced Dental Implant treatment

Our practice deals with referrals for treatment of the difficult dental implant patient:

• Immediate implants can be done just at the same time as an extraction and the biggest advantage for this is in saving time. 3 months later after the extraction socket has healed at the time the implant is already integrated and ready to have a crown. The technique is however more difficult and the surgeon has to be experienced. Patients who had fallen and fractured their teeth could have implants placed immediately into the jaw which will allow for shorter healing and rehabilitation time.
• Implant retained dentures, All on 4 cases: Dr Fan is also involved in many difficult reconstructive cases where patient had cancer surgery and required dental implants to support dentures and eat again properly (see pdf). The ALL on 4 concept is one advanced area which proposes the use of minimal number of implants to support a prosthesis in cases where bone is deficient.
• Patients with insufficient bone that require simple complex bone grafting and sinus lifts
• Implants at cleft defects treated by bone grafting can restore the dental arch for the patient to eat better after cleft lip and palate surgery.