What Are the 3 Types of Dental Implants?

For a variety of patients, dental implants are a fantastic therapy choice. Dental implants will be one of the potential solutions you discuss with your dentist, whether you are missing one, a few, or all of your teeth.

Dental implants come in three primary categories, each of which offers a variety of treatment options:

Endosteal Dental Implants:

Most people imagine endosteal implants when they hear the term “dental implants.” They are the most popular kind of implant and give patients who have the robust, healthy jawbone required to support the implants a dependable treatment choice.

These dental implants use posts that resemble screws that are deeply buried in the jawbone. Typically, titanium, a sturdy and biocompatible material, is used to make the posts. These posts are implanted, and the patient must then recover over the course of many weeks.

Following healing, the abutment—an additional component—is fastened to the post’s top. A crown, bridge, or full arch replacement is subsequently attached to the abutment at this stage. For the replacement tooth or teeth, this kind of dental implant offers a sturdy basis, enabling normal eating and speaking functions.

Endosteal dental implants also produce excellent long-term results for oral health. They are quite good at stopping tooth displacement and jawbone degradation, both of which can happen when there are missing teeth.

Subperiosteal Dental Implants:

Sub periosteal dental implants do not embed posts within the jawbone as endosteal dental implants do. Sub periosteal dental implants offer a different option that may be appropriate for people who don’t satisfy the standards for endosteal implants, which call for a specific thickness of strong, healthy bone to support them.

Instead, sub periosteal dental implants rely on a metal framework that sits on top of the jawbone, below the gum line. The framework sits securely around the jawbone, and the gums heal around it to hold it in place, providing a sturdy option for dental implants Atlanta patients can rely on.

The framework has posts that protrude above the gum line, to which crowns, bridges, or other tooth replacement options are attached. Sub periosteal dental implants still require significant surgery, although they don’t require embedding posts into the jawbone.

In most cases, endosteal dental implants are recommended over sub periosteal dental implants. The only cases where sub periosteal dental implants are chosen are generally in patients who are unable to have endosteal dental implants due to issues with their jawbone.

Zygomatic Dental Implants:

Zygomatic dental implants are another potential option that is generally only chosen when other dental implant options aren’t viable. They are a relatively new implant option that anchors into the cheekbone instead of the jawbone. The cheekbone is also called the zygoma bone, which is where this option gets its name.

Because they rely on the cheekbone as a foundation, this option only provides the dental implants Atlanta patients need for replacing upper teeth. The procedure involves four anchor points which are used to support a full arch replacement for the upper teeth.

The procedure is sometimes used to avoid supplemental procedures associated with conventional endosteal dental implants. When patients have insufficient bone mass, various surgeries can be used to augment the area in preparation for implants. Zygomatic dental implants can be an option to avoid those additional surgeries.

Other Dental Implant Considerations:

What other factors are there to consider when determining the dental implants Roorkee patients should choose? Of course, this is something that any patient will have to discuss with their dentist. There are many factors that go into planning dental implant treatment, and every patient is unique.

For patients who don’t have the required bone mass for endosteal dental implants, there are a variety of procedures that can resolve that issue.

Several different types of bone grafts can take bone from another area and transplant it where it’s needed from the dental implant. This process takes additional time for the bone to fully heal and integrate.

The sinuses above the upper row of teeth can sometimes cause the bone in that area to be too thin. If this is the case, a sinus lift is a type of bone graft that raises the floor of the sinus to provide greater thickness.

Ridge expansions and other bone graft options can augment bone in other areas to provide a solid foundation for dental implants.

The Dental Implants Patients Need:

If you are missing one or more teeth, reach out to Dr Pradeep Rastogi at Dental Implant and Pedodontics Specialists of Roorkee to learn more about what we can do for your smile. We provide a wide range of restorative treatment options, including dental implants. Contact our office today to book your appointment.