| 19 Alpers Avenue Newmarket Auckland NEW ZEALAND 1001 phone [+64] 09 524 5056 fax [+64] 09 524 5057 contact us |
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home : orthodontics : implantsDental implants are very much "state of the art" and are being actively promoted by dentists around the world. However, implants are only one of a number of options for replacing missing teeth, although the alternatives are frequently not offered to patients by dentists. And that's not ethical! So we are going to tell you about all this stuffThe alternatives include: 1. the partial denture. Either with a metal frame or a plastic base, or a combination of the two. The partial denture has been available for a hundred years. It is now a sophisticated and visually acceptable alternative for many people - especially people who don't show their gums when they talk or smile. It is also the cheapest option for replacing missing teeth. The down side is that, being removable, it may be removed by sticky food or by a sneeze - which is not a good look in company! And, like tyres on your car, dentures will wear. It will need to be replaced every ten years or so on an average. 2. the dental bridge. Dentists have been making bridges for several generations. The teeth adjoining the missing tooth are trimmed down and an impression of the prepared teeth is sent to a laboratory which makes a series of joined porcelain crowns with either a metal or ceramic base. More expensive than the partial denture but cheaper than an implant. They should be aesthetically excellent and unable to be detected as artificial teeth [my wife has one replacing a tooth lost after she had a fight with a bull - and she looks pretty damn good!]. The main disadvantage is that sometimes perfectly good teeth have to be cut down to make the supports for the bridge. But then, unlike an implant, you dont have a hole drilled in your jaw bone. some people prefer that. The other thing some people will consider is that now bridges can be made 100% ceramic - no metal. We have patients who won't have any form of metal in their mouths - amalgam fillings, metal implants, metal denture frames, whatever! Again, like dentures, bridges will wear out and need to be replaced every 20 years or so. The main problem here is that as you get older, the gum slowly shrinks back [that's where the expression 'getting long in the tooth' came from!]and the join between the porcelain crown and the root of the tooth may show as a dark line [the same problem happens with porcelain crowns]. So its back to the dentist for a new bridge - but when you consider the truck loads of food and the heaps of talking and smiling you have had over the 20 years with the bridge there, then its a pretty good deal for your money! 3. the dental implant. The implant can be used in several different ways to help dental problems. Commonly they are used to replace missing teeth. They can also support bridges where there are a lot of teeth missing. And implants are very good at stabilising loose dentures that may be inclined to slop around the mouth. Conventional implants [they look like sort of small ceramic coated metal carrots] require a minor surgical procedure to inserting them into the gums. This is often easier than the original tooth extraction, and usually requires no more than asprin or a similar mild pain killer afterwards. After a healing period of 3 to 5 months, the final crown or bridge can be placed on the implant. It is possible to wear a denture during this healing time, or a temporary bridge can be made to 'fill the gap'. 'Mini implants' can be placed in 90 miutes to give 'snap in' dentures, providing instant relief for those who suffer the misery of loose dentures. Implants last really well, but they have only been around for the last 20 years so we cant tell you yet how long they will last for - but so far, so good! Our fees are always competitive, and we are charging 30 - 40% less than the usual implant fees for Auckland, because both the implant surgery and the crowns are done in our office. Bernard does the implants at Alpers Dental. He started taking implant courses in 1987 and has used a number of different implant systems in UK hospitals and in private practice in Germany. For conventional implants he uses a Canadian system called Endopore, widely used in North America, and with more than 70,000 fitted in Australia. The Mini-Implants for dentures are from the USA and many thousands have been placed. Come and talk with Bernard if you think an implant may be an option for you |
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