Fun Facts about Chicago Dental Implants, PART 3

Learn some interesting facts about dental implants in this four-part article series, from their historical conception to their sophistication as a strong and durable tooth replacement technology.

Welcome back to our four-part article series on Chicago dental implants and the many interesting facts there are to learn about this important teeth replacement technology. In our previous article post, the second installment of the series, we found out that the key behind the success of dental implant – osseointegration – was actually an accidental discovery made by Swedish orthopedic surgeon, Professor Per-Ingvar Branemark.

This discovery is so interesting because dentists had struggled for many hundreds of years to find a tooth replacement material that could remain permanently rooted in the jaw, to no avail. It took a single accidental experiment in 1951 to reveal the key to permanent teeth replacement and that was titanium’s total biocompatibility.

We also looked at some of the resultant benefits of osseointegration: the ability of dental implants to remain free-standing (independent) in the mouth without the need of support from the neighboring hard and soft tissues, the teeth and gums. Let’s now take a look at some of the incredible feats of modern implant hardware.

Interesting Fact # 5: Dental Implants Promote a Healthy Jaw Bone

You could be forgiven for thinking that surgically inserting a piece of metal into your jaw would be bad for it, but actually, dental implants are essential for the long term health of your jawbone! This is because, unlike any other teeth replacement technology, dental implants replace both the crown and the root of the missing tooth. Think about it: dentures sit on your gums while dental bridges rest on the filed-down crowns of the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth. Both replace the visible portion of the tooth, but not the structures underneath the gums.

The roots of your teeth are essential to the good health of the bone tissue in the jaw, which, just like any muscle in the body, requires “exercise” to remain strong and healthy. By transmitting the forces associated with biting, grinding and chewing into this tissue, the tooth roots do just this. When they are lost, therefore, there is a serious risk of atrophy and this can cause the jawbone to shrink and waste away at the site/s of the missing tooth or teeth.

The long-term consequences of jawbone atrophy are dental instability of the entire tooth row and even further tooth loss. But perhaps most concerning for patients is the fact that the remodeling process of your jawbone can cause premature aging of your natural facial contours: a shocking and terrifying prospect for anyone.

Tooth implants replace both the crown and the root of the missing tooth, which in turn replaces the source of stimulation needed by the jaw to remain alive and healthy. This makes implants the best and most sophisticated teeth replacement solution on the market – one that promotes excellent jawbone health and prevents complex dental problems and premature aging in the long run (see image below).

Interesting Fact # 6: Dental Implants are Almost Always Successful

The success rate of dental implants in the treatment of single and multiple missing teeth is incredibly high:

• In the case of single tooth replacement, the success rate is 98% over a period of 25 to 30 years.
• In the case of fixed oral rehabilitation (the replacement of an entire arch of upper and/or lower teeth), the success rate is 95% over a 10-year period, without any significant loss of jawbone volume noted.

This is an excellent achievement and surpasses, in lifespan and quality, both dentures and bridges, both of which go hand-in-hand with daily challenges and repeat expenses.

Stay Tuned for Part 4

To read some final interesting facts about tooth implants in Chicago, stay tuned for the final installment of this four part article series.

Fun Facts about Tooth Implants in Chicago, PART 2

Learn some interesting facts about dental implants in this four-part article series, from their historical conception to their sophistication as a strong and durable tooth replacement technology.

Welcome back to our four-part article series on dental implants and the many interesting facts there are to learn about this very important technology! In our previous article post, the first installment of the series, we looked at the various materials our ancient counterparts used to replace missing teeth, from gold and ivory to seashell and gemstones. We then talked about the material from which modern tooth implants in Chicago are made - titanium, which is also the same metal from which space craft, military fighter jets and professional golf clubs are made! Now, let’s take a look at just how we made the transition from using crude tooth replacement materials to titanium.

Interesting Fact # 3: Modern Implants Were an Accidental Discovery!

The modern dental implants used by Chicago dentists today were actually discovered accidentally! In 1952, Swedish orthopedic surgeon Professor Per-Ingvar Branemark (image above) was working on a clinical research project using rabbit bone and titanium metal. The aim of this research was to examine the blood flow within a rabbit bone using an implant titanium chamber.

Once his experiment was done and all the data collected, Professor Branemark tried to remove the implant chamber, only to find that the rabbit bone had actually bonded with the surface of titanium metal. In other words, the bone tissue had integrated with the implant, essentially making this “foreign” material a part of the rabbit’s body! This breakthrough discovery was called "osseointegration" and it opened up an incredible number of possibilities for medical science that would benefit both humans and animals.

Nowadays, the entire field of orthopedic surgery, dedicated to the repair and replacement of bones and joints in the body, is done using medical grade titanium metal. But what also resulted from this discovery was dental implantology. Dentists had, for many hundreds of years, tried to find a substance from which replacement teeth could be made; one that could remain permanently fixed in the jaw and wouldn’t be rejected by the body. Over the years, dentists experimented with all sorts of materials and metals, but time and again, the jawbone would simply grow around the implant or reject it entirely.

The discovery of titanium’s complete biocompatibility - its ability to “osseointegrate” - was a breakthrough in medical and dental science that has since evolved in leaps and bounds. Osseointegration essentially enables modern implant dentists to provide patients with a fixed, non-removable and totally functional replacement solution to missing teeth, whether they have lost one tooth or all of them! Nowadays, millions of dental implants are successfully placed in the United States every year.

The image above shows, under the microscope, how the bone tissue (orange) fuses and knits together with the rough surface of a titanium implant (grey).

Interesting Fact # 4: Dental Implants are Free Standing

Because of the ability of dental implants to biologically bond with the encasing jawbone, they are entirely free standing. In other words, they are independent and don’t require support from the gums (as is the case with removable dentures) or the neighboring teeth (as is the case with dental bridges). As a result, dental implants don’t typically damage the surrounding hard and soft tissues in the mouth and, just like your original teeth, feel natural and comfortable! It is for this reason - one of many - that implant dentists in Chicago recommend dental implants over and above the conventional approaches to missing teeth, which cause all sorts of problems for patients in the long run.

Stay Tuned for Part 3

To read more interesting facts about dental implants in Chicago, stay tuned for the third installment of this four part article series.

Fun Facts about Dental Implants in Chicago, PART 1

Learn some interesting facts about dental implants in this four-part article series, from their historical conception to their sophistication as a strong and durable tooth replacement technology.

Dental implants are widely considered to be the most sophisticated solution modern dental science has to offer patients who have lost one or more of their original adult teeth. Unlike other traditional teeth replacement techniques, dental implants are fixed in the mouth, cannot be removed, support a natural bite force and can last several decades without the need for restoration or replacement. There’s much to be learned about dental implants in Chicago, aside from their benefits and advantages. They are a feat in medical science and in this four-part article series we shall be exploring some of the many interesting facts surrounding this now indispensible technology.

Interesting Fact # 1: Dental Implants Date Back Thousands of Years

Modern dental implants, as we know them, were first developed in the 1950’s, but the concept behind teeth replacement with some form of implant has been around for thousands of years! At an excavation site in Honduras, Archaeologists discovered the skull of a Mayan woman, many of whose natural teeth had been replaced with artificial teeth carved from seashell. These teeth had been placed into the abandoned tooth sockets, apparently with enough success to last several hundreds of years underground!

Dental implants were used by many other civilizations, too. The ancient Egyptians, who were notoriously preoccupied with their appearance, would replace missing teeth with implants fashioned from all sorts of materials, the richness of which would depend upon their economic status. The wealthy could afford gold, silver or ivory implants, or even teeth fashioned from precious gemstones, while the poor would make use of bone and seashell. The ancient Romans were reputed to have used implants made from iron, which is certainly stronger than it is aesthetically pleasing!

The commonality to be found here is that, as a species, we have always been aware of the importance of our teeth. Losing them not only compromises our ability to eat and speak comfortably, but it also has a negative impact upon our appearance. While tooth loss certainly was more prevalent in ancient times than it is now, our efforts to alleviate the consequences have remained constant.

Interesting Fact # 2: Dental Implants are Spacecraft Strong!

Dental implants are strong... very strong. In fact, they are made out of the same material as space shuttles, professional sports equipment (golf clubs and tennis racquets) and military aircraft: titanium! This metal is exceptionally strong, stable, non-toxic and is resistant to corrosion. The strength of titanium enables dental implants, like the rest of your teeth, to endure a natural bite force, which is approximately 200 pounds per square inch.

To highlight this achievement, consider this fact: removable dentures or false teeth, which are the traditional approach to treating total tooth loss, can only facilitate a bite force of 50 pounds per square inch. This is an incredible 75% reduction in bite strength, which is why elderly denture wearers can’t manage many of the foods people with natural teeth can. The difference in diet caused by wearing dentures can even lead to malnutrition!

Stay Tuned for Part 2

We’ve barely begun and already we’ve learned two fascinating facts about tooth implants in Chicago! Stay tuned for part 2 of this series to read more about this breakthrough technology in modern dental science.

Dental Implants in Chicago: New Teeth in a Day, FACT!

This article explains how new dental implant protocols make it possible for patients to get a brand new set of teeth in as little as a single day.

If someone told you that it was possible to get a new set of teeth in a day, would you believe them? How about if that person was an expert in dental implants in Chicago? You might believe them then, but you’d definitely want to know what the catch is. The fact is, incredible advancements in dental implant hardware, surgical protocol and medical technology have made it possible for edentulous (toothless) and near-edentulous patients to get new teeth in Chicago. In a single day, no catch.

About All-on-4 Dental Implants in Chicago

The All-on-4 dental implant protocol was developed in the early 1990’s to provide a fixed and non-removable tooth replacement solution to patients who had been wearing dentures for so long that their jaw bone had suffered substantial shrinkage. Removable dentures, which rest on the gums but don’t actually stimulate the underlying jaw bone, do not promote the health of this hard tissue, which subsequently atrophies. As a result, many of the patients who most needed new teeth in Chicago were not considered candidates for dental implants.

All on 4 dental implants changed that. The protocol consists of the placement of four dental implants in the jaw: two in the anterior (front) portion of the jaw where there exists a greater volume of atrophy-resistant bone tissue, and two longer angulated implants in the posterior (back) portion of the jaw. This angulation ensures that the dental implants are rigidly stabilized even if there isn’t a great amount of bone volume available. It also ensures that damage to vital oral structures, such as the sinus cavity in the upper jaw and the nerve canal in the lower jaw, is avoided.

This is where the name “All on 4” comes in… the specialist in dental implants in Chicago will then attach a fully customized, prosthetic dental bridge to the abutments of the dental implants, screwing it firmly in place. And there you have it! Patients are able to get beautiful, fixed new teeth in Chicago! But, this doesn’t explain how this feat can be achieved in only one day.

Same Day Dental Implants and New Teeth in Chicago

By using only four dental implants instead of six, eight or even 10, as was custom with traditional dental implants techniques, and through the careful placement and angulation of these four implants, oral surgeons are able to (1) provide sufficient support for a dental bridge even if patients have worn dentures for many years, (2) typically without the need for bone grafting surgery.

This saves patients from multiple implant surgeries and bone grafting, which requires many months of healing before the jaw bone is even ready to accept implants. With only four dental implants to place, the entire All-on-4 procedure can almost always be carried out in a single surgery, making it really possible for patients to get new, non-removable teeth in as little as a day!

All-on-4 dental implants in Chicago save patients time and money without compromising on the quality of the solutions provided.