Laser Supported Dental Implant
Dental implants are very good alternatives to natural teeth in many respects. A dental implant is an artificial root, on top of which the visible tooth (crown) is fabricated.
A prerequisite to have dental implants is to have healthy gums. Dental implants may have less success rate in smokers. Having a medical condition such as diabetes or osteoporosis, or chemotherapy in recent years are also topics to be discussed.
You may need to have an X-ray – usually a panoramic view (OPG) or a 3-D – a cone beam computerised tomography (CBCT) scan. This is required to evaluate the volume of the jawbone and the position of anatomical structures to plan the ideal positioning of the implant.
Having dental implants placed involves at least one operation which is usually a minor one. It is of utmost importance to have the site cleaned of infection especially if the reason for the loss of the tooth which the implant will replace was infection. The infection in question can be either gum disease, root canal infection or infection around a fractured root, all of which spread into the bone. In addition to mechanical cleaning we use two types of lasers which promote both superficial and deep disinfection. While the Er:YAG laser provides a thorough cleansing, the Nd:YAG laser penetrates into the bone and kills the bacteria in the deeper layers. This decreases re-infection risk to a minimum in the early stages of implant healing.
After placement, there is an initial post-operative healing and the slower healing where the implant fuses with bone in time and is able to carry loads through dentures, crowns or bridges replacing missing teeth. Low level laser therapy has also been shown to bio-modulate the tissue response both to have fewer side effects of the surgery right after and to increase the speed and quality of healing in the long term. Higher quality healing is where we have more bone growing around the implant to support, if compared with implantation without low level laser therapy.
Another important technique we use is Platelet Rich Fibrin (PRF). PRF is a great support for healing after surgeries like extractions, implants and more. It is a concentration of the patient’s own blood which is withdrawn just before the surgery if the patient opts for it. Then it is centrifuged to get a concentration of all good healing materials, important cells and factors in the blood, which promotes healing to a high level, without any additional chemicals.
You can read more about dental implants here.
The information above should not replace dental advice or a comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis by a qualified practitioner.