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Who should you see for Dental Implants ?
Modern implant dentistry is prosthetic driven. This is important as the aesthetics and functional requirements of the final implant prosthesis will determine the number , positioning and angulation of the dental implants. The final implant prosthesis may be in the form of crowns and bridges or removable overdentures. This is called Top Down Dental Implant Treatment Planning ( or reverse engineering ) . In the early days of implant dentistry, because of poor treatment planning, dental implants were frequently placed out of position, resulting in poor aesthetics and function. Sometimes the dental implants were placed so out of position that they had to be left buried as they were non restorable.
As implant dentistry becomes more advanced and complex , frequently a team of dental specialists is required, especially if the case involved is a complex one.
Prosthodontists are dental specialists in teeth replacement. The teeth replacement may be in the form of crowns ,bridges and dental implants. A Prosthodontist acts as the architect of the oral cavity in that he will plan and treat a case that requires complex dental procedures. Sometimes he will collaborate with other dental specialists to provide the most effective treatment available. Experienced prosthodontists can do both implant surgery and implant prosthetics. ( Total Implant Treatment). The Total Implant Treatment protocol will allow a seamless treatment of teeth replacement with dental implants as well as cost savings to the patient as only one operator is involved.
Oral maxillofacial surgeons are also important members of the dental implant team if there are major bone grafting involved. Oral maxillofacial surgeons are orthopaedic surgeons of the mouth. They are trained to harvest large quantities of autogenous bone from the iliac crest ( hip) to graft in oral cavities. This is especially indicated for atrophic jaws. (i.e. jaws that have very little bone for dental implants. Oral maxillofacial surgeons also do complex nerve repositioning procedures in the lower jaw. This procedure is done in cases where there is inadequate bone height for dental implants in the lower jaw due to bone atrophy.
In general these procedures are carried out under general anaesthesia in a hospital environment. In cases where the jaws are too far forward, or retruded, the oral maxillofacial surgeons will do jaw correction surgery (osteotomy) so as to improve the overall facial profile . Dental implants will be done after the jaw is corrected to its ideal position for aesthetics and function.
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