Dental implantation

Dental implantation is necessary in cases of complete loss (extraction) of a natural tooth to restore the dentition. In recent years, it has become a fairly routine procedure. According to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, more than 3 million people undergo it annually in the United States alone.

Doctors can perform dental implantation in one or two stages. In the first case, the implant is placed immediately after tooth extraction, before new bone tissue has formed. In the classical two-stage technique, the implant is first placed into the bone with a healing period of 3 to 6 months, after which the gum is reopened and a solid cylindrical structure is installed. The final step is placing a permanent prosthesis on it.

It is important to note that the implant material in the smile zone should differ from that in the chewing area: nowadays, foreign dentists place implants with ceramic or zirconia abutments instead of titanium ones. When the gum recedes, such implants do not show through the soft tissue, ensuring a natural-looking smile.

An innovative implantation method abroad is the use of the robot-assisted ROBODOC technology. It helps the specialist position implants correctly and adjust them in relation to other teeth with greater precision.

Full-arch prosthetics on four implants, also known as All-on-4, is one of the options for replacing all teeth without the need to implant each one separately. Essentially, it is a unique technology that allows the comfortable use of four fixed titanium prostheses anchored to the jaw. This does not require additional maintenance and avoids the inconvenience of cleaning or removing conventional dentures. A similar approach is used in All-on-6 prosthetics, with the only difference being the number of dental implants: 2 are placed in the bone in the area of the front incisors, 2 in the lateral sections of the jaw, and the remaining 2 vertically or at an angle on each side of the jaw relative to the tooth axis.

Foreign dentistry places special emphasis on new technologies in bone tissue restoration. For example, clinics in Switzerland have long been using the sinus lift method, typically for elderly patients who most often have jawbone defects preventing tooth implantation. During this short surgical procedure, access is made to the sinus area, where a bone graft material is placed. Over time, it dissolves and is replaced by the patient’s own bone.

Another example is the installation of a titanium membrane — a thin protective mesh. It is non-allergenic and serves as a framework indispensable for tooth extraction and the augmentation of the patient’s own bone tissue for subsequent implantation.