When dental implants were invented, they were clearly the best tooth replacement option. Natural appearance, great function, and the potential for lifetime survival made them clearly the best choice for people looking to replace lost teeth, whether it was a single tooth or a whole mouth full of teeth.
They had only one problem: they took months to properly heal. This meant that people getting implants had to either have no teeth or wear a temporary denture while trying to get their replacement teeth.
However, in recent years, immediate implant approaches offer people the chance to get dental implants and a new smile immediately after their teeth are removed. Some thought this would cause problems. But studies show that this type of procedure is highly successful. The dental implants placed this way have a very high survival rate, as shown by a new study that found 100% of immediate implants survived 6-9 years after placement.
How Immediate Implants Work
The theory behind immediate implants is that it’s best for dental implants to take advantage of the bone in your jaw that used to support your teeth. The implants are placed ideally soon after your natural teeth are removed. This is important because the body starts removing that bone as soon as the teeth are gone.
To further help maintain bone in the jaw, the implants are connected to implant dentures/implant-dentures’}}}} that replace a full arch of teeth. These replacement teeth can be used almost exactly like natural teeth. You can bite and chew with them with relatively few restrictions. The implant denture not only stimulates the body to build bone around the implants, it helps stabilize the dental implants.
This leads to a very high survival rate.
100% Survival Rate, Despite Challenges
In this study, researchers looked at 170 dental implants placed in 23 patients. Of these patients, 14 had one arch of teeth replaced, while 9 had both arches replaced. In each case, patients received 4-6 implants per denture. The implants were placed immediately. At the same time, patients received a resin denture first. This was replaced after 3-6 months with a stronger, more durable restoration.
The patients ranged from their upper 40s to mid 80s. Most had moderate or severe periodontitis, and many had other health conditions that put them at high risk for implant failure. This included smoking/4-reasons-why-you-should-quit-smoking-when-you-get-dentures’}}}}, diabetes, osteoporosis, and more.
However, despite these risk factors, all implants survived to the time of the study, 6-9 years after placement. Since normally half of all implant failures occur within the first year of placement, this high survival rate promises good things for the long-term success of these implants.
A Highly Successful Approach to Implants in Columbia
If you are considering dental implants, you might be attracted to the immediate implants concept, but worry that it’s not successful. Let us reassure you: this is likely the most successful approach to placing dental implants. The combination of good bone and stabilization by the implant denture helps the implants survive.
Do you want to learn whether immediate implants are right for you? Please call (803) 781-9090 today for an appointment with implant dentist Dr. Adam Hahn at Smile Columbia Dentistry in Columbia, SC.
