The primary use of dental implants is to support dental prosthetics. Modern dental implants make use of osseointegration, the biologic process where bone fuses tightly to the surface of specific materials such as titanium and some ceramics. The integration of implant and bone can support physical loads for decades without failure.
For individual tooth replacement, an implant abutment is first secured to the implant with an abutment screw. A crown (the dental prosthesis) is then connected to the abutment with dental cement, a small screw, or fused with the abutment as one piece during fabrication. Dental implants, in the same way, can also be used to retain a multiple tooth dental prosthesis either in the form of a fixed bridge or removable dentures.
Dental Laboratories and dental technicians( dental laboratory equipment ) often work behind the scene with the dentist and/or the specialist and are an integral part of the treatment process for patients. A thorough understanding of patients’ anatomical limitations during treatment planning is essential, as is recommending and implementing the appropriate impression/transfer techniques, abutment design, and restoration design.
The modern dental laboratory, armed with a dental technician with the appropriate knowledge, skill, and experience can provide implant restorations in a financially, technically and esthetically predictable manner, delivering the highest standard of patient care.
In order to improve the predictability of any treatment outcome, it is critical to understand whether the patient’s anatomy, bone, and soft tissue, is favorable for esthetic integration. Dr. John Kois has noted that the patients’ presenting situation is the most important factor in determining whether an optimum esthetic result can be achieved.
As every situation is different, it is important for the patient to realize that compromises to the way the teeth look may still occur. Considerations that may compromise the symmetry of an attractive smile may include medical and/or dental history, gum, bone or existing teeth.
An implant supported bridge (or fixed denture) is a group of teeth secured to dental implants so the prosthetic cannot be removed by the user. Bridges typically connect to more than one implant and may also connect to teeth as anchor points. Typically the number of teeth will outnumber the anchor points with the teeth that are directly over the implants referred to as abutments and those between abutments referred to as pontics. Implant supported bridges attach to implant abutments in the same way as a single tooth implant replacement by dental implant machine. A fixed bridge may replace as few as two teeth (also known as a fixed partial denture) and may extend to replace an entire arch of teeth (also known as a fixed full denture). In both cases, the prosthesis is said to be fixed because it cannot be removed by the denture wearer.
