Dental implants are an excellent choice for replacing missing teeth, and laser dentistry is a smart choice for placing implants. Laser treatment has many clinical advantages when compared to scalpels and blades—including giving more precise control to the clinician and more comfort to the patient.
Dental lasers are medical devices that use precisely focused light to treat tissue. Laser light has a specific wavelength. The power is harnessed in a skinny little beam and creates a very high-intensity light. Lasers are accurate and can focus on tiny areas, making them perfect for very precise dental surgeries in place of a drill or scalpel. Lasers are a safe and gentle alternative to traditional dental tools. They allow oral surgeons and dentists to accomplish more complex tasks, reduce blood loss, decrease post-operative discomfort, reduce the chance of wound infection, and achieve better wound healing so patients are back to smiling, faster.
What is dental implant?
General and consistent dental care can prevent a multitude of problems for down the road in your life. However, that same life can also get in the way of getting proper and routine dental care done. Through your life you may have lost a tooth or teeth or have some wearing down of the teeth you have. Your smile is important for all aspects of your life such as; professionally, socially, and internally. Feeling good about smiling at someone or reflecting yourself as you wish to is crucial to confidence which helps you navigate the world. Dental technology has come a long way to help assist you in those endeavours by giving you the teeth and smile you desire. Where dentures once offered options, we now have dental implants. Implants can be used for a single tooth to all your teeth.
Dental implants have an artificial root that continues to stimulate your jawbone. Without stimulation, your jawbone will inevitably and eventually being to deteriorate. Implants provide the artificial root that bonds to your jawbone and gives it the stimulation it needs. It’s important not to late too long as the integrity of your jawbone may lack the strength what is essential for the implants to be fully successful. Because of the root, implants fit more comfortably than the typical denture, and can also help to reduce the risk of bone over that occurs over time and that is often seen with dentures. If you are missing teeth, the other teeth over time will shift into filling the empty space. This can cause future potential trouble that will cost more over time. Placing implants will keep your teeth properly placed.
A dental implant is a titanium screw that is placed directly into the jawbone. After the implant is placed, it will need to heal. Usually the healing period is around a couple to several weeks. The implants bonds to your jawbone, and is what makes it possible to add custom-made pieces that will replace your missing teeth. This permanent implants do not shift or slide and remain comfortable in wear even through to when you need routine cleanings at your dentist and with eating. Sometimes with dentures it can take awhile before you are fully speaking normally as well. You might struggle to pronounce every day words and this can be an embarrassing time but with implants, this does not really happen. Implants function, move, grind like regular teeth.
What are the indications for dental implants?
It is no secret that using dental implants is the most advanced method of restoring completely missing teeth. According to international statistics, the efficiency and most importantly longevity of structures after dental implant treatment is higher than the classical methods of prosthesis used in prosthodontics. There are several of them:
- The most important indication for the use of dental implants is a single included dentition defect with intact, i.e. healthy neighboring teeth. This means that the basic premise of single dental implants is the availability of healthy adjacent teeth and desire to preserve them healthy as not to grind them for crowns and bridges and other structures.
- Another indication is limited included defects in the dentition. If a person is missing 2 or 3 teeth, then you can restore those using dental implants. In this case, there are several versions which provide freedom for the dentist and some choice for the patient.
- The following indication: terminal dentition defects, i.e. when there are no last teeth in the row. This type of defect caused and continues to cause difficulties for other types of prosthesis because for the classical prosthesis there is only one point of support in the form of the previous tooth. In the case of dental implants, this issue is solved – the implant is almost indifferent to the presence of teeth in its environment.
- The complete absence of teeth, especially at a lower height of alveolar processes. This type of adentia is an indication both to the implantation and the removable dentures. But if a person is mentally not ready to remove the dentures from the mouth at night, i.e., putting teeth on the shelf, then you can use dental implants as an alternative method of treatment.
- Intolerance of dentures as a result of increased sensitivity to acrylate (the main component of the prosthesis), or with the clear gag reflex. Everything is clear: if a man can’t wear dentures, the only alternative is dental implants.
- Lack of functional occlusion (closing of the teeth) and as a result – the emergence of pain.
Advantages of Laser Dental Implant Procedure
Life gets easier with the right and most up to date dental technology. With dental implants you will get to correct permanently what years or moments of tooth wear and tear have done. The right implant specialists will get you eating, talking, and smiling bright, normally, and with the full function of a normal full smile. As technology continues, we find better ways that last longer and currently implants surpass many other methods in longevity.
Until recently, implant dentistry seemed to be something fantastic. Today it is a fairly common dental procedure that dentists provide every day. Many dentists think lasers are the future of dentistry. The laser provides the best result, better and faster healing, and the absolute sterility and lack of blood.
One of the reasons that laser dentistry has gained momentum and experienced a surge in popularity is for the vast number of benefits that it offers. One of the key defining features of laser dentistry is that is non-invasive and a much quieter and more relaxing procedure. This is because lasers are virtually silent, compared to the high-pitched whining sounds and strong vibrations that are felt when treatment are performed using traditional dental drills. Using a laser in implant dentistry offers significant advantages during the implant procedure.
- Using laser in implant dentistry is less traumatic being not accompanied by bleeding.
- After the laser dental implant treatment, a photocoagulation cover is produced, which protects the wound from the introduction of microorganisms as a biological dressing.
- At the II stage of laser dental implantation, when it is needed to re-open the implant to install abutment, there is no need to use a scalpel, which is made of stainless steel, as its particles can remain on the surface of the implant, which may further cause the appearance of galvanic currents between dissimilar metals (titanium implant and stainless steel scalpel).
- Dental lasers are able to be used with pinpoint accuracy, meaning that there is minimal damage to surrounding tissues.
- Minimal bleeding as the laser encourages the blood to clot.
- Minimal risk of bacterial infection after the procedure. This is because the laser helps to sterilize the area while it is being worked on.
- Wounds may not require sutures, shortening the length of the overall procedure and reducing healing time.
- The need for anesthetic may be reduced or removed altogether depending on your preferences.
- Wounds heal faster as the soft tissue is able to regenerate quicker. This means minimal downtime and you will soon be able to get back to using your teeth and mouth as normal.
Laser dental implant procedure
Laser dental implant procedure itself takes from 15 to 30 minutes. Under local anesthesia, implantologist cuts mucosa using laser, which provides the best result, better and faster healing, and the absolute sterility and lack of blood, and then embed dental implant using a special device.
The dental implant itself consists of a cylindrical rod made of titanium. Then the implant is covered by mucus from the top and closed with stitches.
After the dental implant procedure one will have to wait from 3 to 6 months for a permanent dental implant, and at this time dentist install temporary dental implant crown. Over this period the implants integrate with the jaw bone and they are used for a permanent dental implant. The mucosa over the implant is just vaporized over the implant using a laser, and a crown is being put subsequently.
Laser Therapy around Ailing/Failing Dental Implants
Although the long-term success of dental implants is relatively high and their function and utility have been widely documented, peri-implant diseases, including peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis, are common and can prove to be a clinical conundrum for practitioners. Laser, which is an acronym for “light amplification through stimulation of emission radiation”, therapy may be one of the therapeutic approaches to treat peri-implant disease as an adjunct to nonsurgical or surgical periodontal therapy. Commercially available lasers that have been used for implant surface disinfection include: carbon dioxide (CO2), diode, erbium yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG), and neodymium yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG). Each laser generally has a fixed wavelength that determined the properties of the laser beam and its effects on tissues, materials, and microbes (Figure 4). For example, certain laser types are utilized and designed to target certain substances or tissues, known as chromophores. These may include: water, blood, pigmentation, cell types, collagen, bone, minerals, and/or bacteria.
Positive treatment outcomes have been recorded in many investigations of laser therapy for peri-implant diseases, confounding risk factors, short follow up periods, and lack of homogeneity and/or transparency in the laser therapy protocols may not allow generalizability of the current data. Current evidence also demonstrates inconsistent data regarding laser reduction of bacterial loads on tooth surfaces beyond that achieved with nonsurgical periodontal therapy alone. While further controlled, long-term studies are necessary to determine the overall efficacy of laser therapy in the treatment of peri-implant diseases, there is data regarding the short-term benefit of laser therapy.
Contraindications
Contraindications to the implantation procedure are severe metabolic disorders and some chronic diseases in the decompensated stage.
Previously, the lack of bone in the area of implantation was a contraindication. But now, thanks to new methods of dental implantation of mineral bone using stem cells, this is not a contraindication anymore. After the dental implant procedure within 3 days, there may be slight swelling in the area of operation and discomfort, so one should avoid hypothermia and severe physical exertion. After 3 days the patient forgets about the surgery.
Dental implant procedure allows the patients to refuse uncomfortable dentures and not grind healthy adjacent teeth to restore lost ones. Many dentists think lasers are the future of dentistry. Ask your dentist about using a laser for the dental implant procedure.
Risks of laser dentistry
When it comes to dental care, in many cases dental lasers are actually safer than the tools used in traditional treatment. This is because there is no need to sterilise a laser after each use and they can be used with pinpoint accuracy.
Although laser dentistry is generally considered to be an extremely safe and effective treatment, unfortunately there is no guarantees that it is suitable for every patient and there may be some risks associated with their use. The exact risks will depend on the type of treatment being carried out and so you should speak to your dentist about your suitability for treatment during your initial consultation.
To find out whether laser treatment is a viable option for your dental requirements, make an appointment with your dentist who will be happy to discuss your candidacy further and answer any questions that you may have.
Cost of Dental Implant Laser Surgery
Thus, the use of the laser in implant dentistry allows implantation to be more comfortable for the patient and have the best effect. The cost of laser implantation depends on the implant system and implantologist experience. Dentists use different dental implants, which allow offering laser procedure for patients with different material possibilities.
