Dr. Joseph Akhikar is our guest blogger on today’s topic about Dental Implants.

Dr. Akhikar is a senior general dentist with 1st Family Dental who both places and restores Chicago dental implants.  Dr. Akhikar has completed a great deal of continuing education and training including implant technology and techniques.

In a recent blog post, we reviewed the most common tooth replacement options. Implants are most often the best tooth replacement option because they are strong, versatile, and designed to last a lifetime when properly cared for.  In this post we will review three different types of dental implant options at 1st Family Dental: Standard Implant, Same Day Dental Implants, and Overdentures.

Standard Dental Implant

A standard implant, which we reviewed in a previous blog post, consists of three steps:

Placement: The implant is placed surgically into the upper or lower jaw and a “healing cap” placed over the implant to protect it.  In some cases, the dentist may need to graft bone to the implant site to help strengthen it for placement of a dental implant.

Healing: usually about 3 months of time to allow the implant to integrate with the patient’s bone structure.  According to the Academy of Osseointegration: “Dental implants work by a process known as osseointegration, which occurs when bone cells attach themselves directly to the titanium surface, essentially locking the implant into the jaw bone.”

Tooth Replacement:  A custom crown or bridge is made to fit with any existing teeth and over the implant.

A standard implant can be used to replace a single tooth, or two implants can be placed to create a bridge without impacting surrounding teeth.  Dental implants are the closest possible replacement to an actual tooth.  Many people with implants can’t tell the difference between their natural teeth and their implants, and neither can their friends and family!

Same Day Dental Implants

Same Day Dental Implants, often called “Implant in a Day” or “Dental Implant in One Day”, is similar to the standard implant, but includes the placement of a temporary crown over the implant on the same day it is placed.  Crowns can take some time to create at a dental lab, so this allows for immediate tooth replacement, and the patient can return when the permanent crown is ready.

Above is a video featuring Dr. Ghassan Abboud and Dr. Thomas Adams that highlights the Same Day Dental Implants option.  You’ll meet our patient, Olivia, who broke her tooth and sought an option that would replace her tooth as quickly as possible without impacting the healthy surrounding teeth.  She visited one of our Chicago Illinois dental clinics at Division & Wells and has been a happy patient ever since!

Overdentures

An “overdenture” is a full or partial denture that is modified to attach to dental implants.  In this procedure, patients with sufficient bone density have a denture made or adjusted for fit.  Two or more implants are placed and allowed to heal.  After the implants have healed, the denture will clip onto the implants.  Rather than pressure on the gums, the implants bear the pressure of the dentures.  Over-dentures help reduce and even prevent bone loss in the jaw that results from missing teeth, and our patients report that the fit and feel of full or partial dentures is far more natural and comfortable with dental implants.

Joe, a 1st Family Dental patient, had been living with full dentures since 2000.  When we met him in early 2013, Joe told us that around 2005 he gave up wearing his original dentures completely because they just didn’t fit and feel right.  Sore spots and other issues made them tough to live with.  Joe said that he had given up a lot to accommodate a life without teeth: including healthy foods like vegetables, nuts and fruits, and ate more of what was easier to chew.  Joe told us this resulted in painful issues with his digestion.

Joe visited our Little Village office in July 2013 and had a new set of dentures made and 4 implants placed by Dr. Lawrence Velano.  Joe told us he was a little anxious before the surgery, but said that the entire time our staff “treated him like a king” and made him feel comfortable.  “They checked with me through the whole procedure to make sure I was OK,” Joe said.  “I felt tired afterward because of the excitement, but I was surprised at how little discomfort there was.”  Joe’s implants healed for 3 months while he was able to wear his dentures which fit over the implants to allow for healing.

In October, Joe returned to the office to have his dentures fitted to the implants.  The overdenture clips on to the upper and lower implants, and is removable at night.  Joe tells us he is very happy with his new, healthier smile.  “They fit well, and I am confident when I eat, talk and smile.” Joe is able once again to eat healthy foods, and no longer has digestion issues.  “I smile a lot more than I used to,” said Joe.  “My friends tell me I look 10 years younger.  I never thought I would have been able to do this.  Maybe someone out there will think they can do it if I did!”