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Go Direct to the Novum Implant Explanation
Implants
You Need to Know the Following About Implants
- Implants are simple, painless and predictable.
- They are smaller than a jellybean.
- They are the least troublesome bit of dentistry you will ever have the pleasure
of receiving.
- 98% success in the upper jaw and 92% in the lower jaw imply that there is a small
chance of failure. A failed implant is rarely painful, merely not tight enough yet some
exudate may come through the gum. The removal and subsequent healing is almost always
uneventful and at about 8 weeks it can be replaced for which we would charge just the
rebate or nothing other than a facility fee of about $200 to cover sterile drapes and
instruments which are "one time use".
- An interim or existing denture can require adjustments, repairs and relines due
to the small swelling of the healing gum and its subsequent shrinkage or, of course,
should an implant require replacement, the shape and fit can need change or even total
replacement of the denture! We do not expect any of this, but you need to be prepare
emotionally for some reversals in outcome.
- We will be married to your mouth and consequently promise you that we will and
can sort out any problem 7 days a week, 24 hours a day should you be in pain or your
temporary smile collapse.
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- The prognosis for implants is excellent. If the bone grows over the implant, it
is there for the rest of your life, presuming no external trauma and your correct cleaning
and the intelligent monitoring by you and us - you for any looseness and us at Aardent by
assessing the bite, the gum and bone health.An implant bridge is often screw retained or
placed with a retrievable cement so any porcelain fractures can be attended to by careful
removal with a small driver.
- Should you fracture some porcelain, a repair can be carried out, however, you
should not see the first bridge or crown as the last - you may need it renewed in 10 or 20
years.
- If your smile is not high, this is a favorable factor given that the final gum
shape around the implant is not predictable as the height of bone in-fill can vary with
the implant angulation and the shape of your basal facial bone.
- Bone loss under a denture can be some 1-2 mm per year but once an implant is
placed the surrounding bone is stabilized with that loss dropping to about 0.1 mm per year
or sometimes thickening and becoming more dense around and along the jaw distant to the
implant! Best news yet!
- Your best outcome would be all the implants remain stable and the bridge or crown
functions for 15 to 20 years with the eventual replacement due to fair wear and hunger or
your other teeth yellow over the years.
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- The worst outcome might be that some implants are lost during the first
year’s healing period and that you cannot have a fully supported bridge but a hybrid
design of an implant supported denture (with ball attachments) and some implant supported
crowns.
- Without implants your future would be a partial denture with increasing looseness
and a liability for decay and gum disease where the denture contacted the remaining
crowns, teeth or gums. Bone loss would continue and your lip would loose its support and
the muscles’ attachments would sink inwards. Lemon lips, sorry but it is true!
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- Without implants your future with a full denture would be worse, your ability to
chomp into a steak would be down to 30%, your lips and face would cave in and you would
spend agony appointments relining and replacing smelly plastic loosening dentures, with
each attempt giving a result of increasing difficulty to the dentist and less satisfaction
to you. Eventually you would have so little bone that you would have lost the simple
option of implants and spend your remaining aged days with your denture(s) in your pocket
or locker.At best you would have 2 or 3 minor surgical episodes - either in the chair or
hospital; you would be able to wear an existing denture after a minimum time of some days.
- At worst you would break a tooth off the denture on a Sunday and I would have to
fix your smile on that day for work on Monday or generally, you might have to place
denture adhesive each day to retain the plate.
- For unforeseen problems, you may have to make a financial allowance, as I will
charge our time at the ADA recommended hourly rate and any technician fees will be passed
onto you. Nevertheless, we would attempt to help you at a minimum fee rather than seeing
those problems as a, forgive us for using that commercial term, a profit center.
- The advantage of a sole operator over an oral surgeon and prosthodontist is that
we can cover the gaps that will occur eg. should you be in the office of one and need the
services of the other such as an extraction or adjustment to the denture. These
circumstances often arise at 5 pm Friday. A multi-skilled operator covers the areas of
speciality so that you are not trying to sort your problems between 2 offices.
One–stop-shopping!
- The other factor is the possibility of our having to use a Goretex membrane over
the implant to encourage bone growth. It would cost about $400 and if done in hospital,
the hospital would bill you $200 of that amount and the health fund would pay that as part
of your medical account for the theatre and provisions. We would inform you if we expected
to have to use Goretex but you need to know there is a small chance of the bone being not
thick enough. Goretex stops the gum growing where we want bone. It could need to be
removed at anytime during the healing period of 6 months. In the chair and no big deal or
hospital - your preference.
Financially and emotionally, you will have to decide the
approach (a lot, a little or half now, half later) that you are prepared to take given the
following:
- the ideal formula is one implant for each lost tooth
- some implants fail as only 92-98% will succeed
- 3 implants are able to be linked in a tripod (not in a perfectly straight line)
for greater stability than 2 implants
- The nerve canals can be large and close to the surface, which may mean the bone
shape or volume may unsuited for an implant. Our X-rays will allow us to inform you of any
risk of nerve numbness.
- The cost reflects TIME : implants gobble up your time and mine.
Your other decision is based on having it done in stages or all
together. Certainly by spreading the treatment over a number of years the HBF rebate would
be maximized and you would be "sailing into charted waters".
Because of the 20% tax deduction over the first $1,000 it is
often prudent to borrow money at 7% and maximize your outgoing in one financial year. You
would qualify for a tax rebate which may be more that the insurance rebate; best to ask
your accountant.
After the implants are placed the denture will not sit on the
mildly swollen gum and will require reshaping of the fitting surface. It is really best to
give 2-7 days for the gum to heal without the denture bouncing over the sore gum or, often
you can wear the denture only for short appointments or meetings and then remove it in the
car and at home until the healthy gum shape returns.
The good new is that most people do not experience too much
discomfort or swelling.
Hoping to help you whichever approach you choose.
Dentistry - Keeping Aussies Beautiful
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