Having perfectly shaped teeth with implants

Having a perfect smile is not just about perfectly shaped lips, more than anything else, you must have perfectly shaped teeth. Some people though are demure about smiling either because they have missing teeth or are wearing dentures that don’t really look that good when they smile.

Forget you lost a tooth; an option has since been available in Cebu that will replace missing teeth that ‘mimics nature’. This tooth replacement is called dental implants. It is basically, a screw that is anchored into the jaw to eventually serve as the foundation for a crown or a bridge.

Having dental implants is not just for appearance. A possible consequence of not replacing missing teeth is oral bone loss which leads to sagging of natural facial contours, increased wrinkles, loss of lip support, nose and chin seem closer together and difficulty in chewing and biting that can cause digestive problems.

Most people wear fixed or removable dentures or have their teeth reshaped to fill gaps caused by missing teeth. While these options may look like real teeth, it may not work and feel like the original teeth you were born with. Dentures don’t have the same biting force and chewing power like the real one.

Replacing a missing tooth may lead to premature loss of healthy teeth. When making a fixed bridge, the dentist has to grind and reduce neighboring healthy teeth into stubs to accommodate the crowns which hold the bridge. This may cause the nerve to die and lead to other problems. Oral hygiene may be difficult under fixed bridges causing dental decay, gum disease and increased risk of additional tooth loss. Removable partial dentures are likely to cause tooth decay around the clasps which also weaken adjacent teeth.

It’s not funny.

But then the most tragic and alarming thing about tooth loss is oral bone loss that can cause distortion of facial contours. Put it in black and white, ugly teeth means an ugly face. There is nothing funny or condemning to this. This is not about putting down naturally endowed God-given features. Rather, this is about the natural disaster that can happen to your face if you are not conscious about preventing oral bone loss. If you are into singing, you won’t be able to sing well if you have missing teeth. Even if you have a beautiful soprano voice, missing teeth compromises sound quality of a voice. There is no such thing as a soloist with missing teeth.

Dental implants are meant to replace missing teeth such that these replacements have the look, feel and function of natural teeth – mimic nature, so to speak. Dental implant therapy prevents oral bone loss, reduces compromising adjacent healthy teeth, preserves natural facial contours and appearance and restores oral function that closely resembles natural teeth like biting and chewing and restores you back to your cherished pleasures of enjoying good food.

The only Periodontist in Cebu, Dr. Andrea A. Arancillo of the Dental Implant and Multi-Disciplinary Oral Care Center (DIMOC), tells us more on what we need to know about dental implants. Excerpts:

Ruth: How is the implant procedure done?

Andrea: An implant procedure is done through minor dental surgery. It’s a procedure where you open the gums a little, then screw in a titanium fixture into the jawbone. Then you either close everything up or if bone dimensions are ideal, attach a healing abutment onto the implant. Either way, the implant has to remain undisturbed for a minimum of two to three months to allow the bone to fuse (osseointegrate) with the implant. This is very important because without this process, you will not have a strong, stable implant. After a few months, the implant will be ready to receive a crown.

Ruth: Is having an implant procedure painful?

Andrea: No, it should not hurt. If done properly, it should be non-traumatic. Having a tooth extracted may sometimes be even more uncomfortable. The drills and instruments used are very sharp so it does almost no damage to the tissues.

Ruth: What happens when the oral bone is not that healthy?

Andrea: If patient has gum (perio) disease it has to be treated and controlled before implants can be done as this disease affects not just the gums but the supporting bone. If there is not enough bone to put in an implant, we can do a bone graft, either as a separate procedure, or together with implant placement. Each case has to be evaluated individually. The graft has to mature fully before the implant can be loaded or receive a crown, otherwise osseointegration is compromised.

Ruth: During this period of healing and integration, do I need to go around without teeth?

Andrea: No, you can have temporary teeth made as long as it does not impinge on or disturb the implant.

Ruth: If I have my tooth extracted and want to have an implant immediately, can that be done or do I need to have the extracted area heal first?

Andrea: Yes, as long as there is enough bone to stabilize the implant, an immediate implant can be done in the area where tooth was extracted.

Ruth: Can I have my teeth removed deliberately and replace these teeth with implants?

Andrea: I would never advise removing healthy teeth just to get implants done. Implants are a way of replacing disease, damaged, hopeless teeth. If appearance is the only problem, there are ways to fix that with cosmetic dentistry without having to extract healthy teeth. 

Ruth: Can anybody have implants?

Andrea: Except for people with serious medical problems such as cancer, HIV, bleeding problems and osteoporosis, among others. Most people are good candidates for implants. Even if you are diabetic, if you are well controlled, you can have implants. However, for patients with medical problems, everything must be cleared with their physician.

Ruth: Can implants last a lifetime?

Andrea: If done properly, implants can last a long, long time. However, it is important to remember that you need to take care of them with proper oral hygiene, regular dental visits and taking care of your health in general. Implants are not just about metal screws; there is a biologic component to it.