Dental implants are devices that replace missing teeth. There are contraindications for some pathologies and in cases of absence of bone. However, thanks to advances in new techniques, restrictions are minimal.
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are devices that are placed inside the maxillary bones and are used to replace lost teeth or teeth with a prognosis that cannot be maintained over time.
When are dental implants recommended or not recommended?
Dental implants, as stated by experts in Dentistry and Stomatology, are indicated in patients with missing teeth, one, several or even all of them. Also when we have a tooth that cannot be saved, due to trauma, fracture, very severe periodontal disease, untreatable caries…
However, they are not indicated in those cases in which we can perform a conservative therapy of the tooth, since it has been demonstrated that there is nothing better than the patient’s own natural tooth.
Can all patients have dental implants?
Dental implants have few absolute contraindications, so they can be performed in most patients. However, they are contraindicated in patients with certain rare autoimmune pathologies, patients taking certain medications that affect bone metabolism (especially intravenous drugs), and other relative ones such as severe uncontrolled systemic diseases, such as diabetes. Even so, after their exhaustive control, they could be performed.
Cases where there is no bone to place dental implants
The biggest problem we encounter when placing dental implants is the absence of sufficient bone. Nowadays there are many techniques for bone augmentation and gingival tissue augmentation (soft tissue and gum), since both are necessary for the correct positioning and long-term maintenance of implants. We can also perform regeneration techniques for horizontal bone augmentation, vertical bone augmentation, maxillary sinus elevation, palate and tuberosity grafts for soft tissue, among others. With this multitude of techniques we can solve most of the cases we encounter.