Dental Implants

A dental implant is a titanium screw that is placed in the jaw bone in order to replace the root of a lost tooth. Crowns, bridges, or complete dentures can be placed on them.

If you are considering getting implants, you should make an appointment with a specialist to assess your dental health and to see if you are a candidate for this treatment. Ultimately, whether or not you need or can even receive an implant will depend on your general health status, oral space between teeth, bone quantity, and other anatomical factors.

Most dental implants are made of titanium, but different brands utilize a variety shapes, sizes, and surface finishes as well as manufacturing processes and quality controls.

Titanium is integrated into the bone. If placed in ideal conditions, almost all implants integrate to the bone. Our main goal is to recreate a tooth that looks good, allows you to chew properly, and lasts many years.

With this in mind, it is important to carefully select a qualified professional to perform this procedure.

1. The preparation and experience of the professionals

• To ensure the rehabilitation of your mouth, be it a lost or damaged tooth, the implant procedure must be performed by a specialist in oral rehabilitation, also known as a Prosthodontist.
• The Prosthodontist can place the implants himself or can work with a surgeon who will place them.
• You should see specialists who has proven experience in the implant treatment you require. That way, you can be sure that the techniques and technology for your particular case will be used.

2. The implant brand

• The brand of the dental implant is important because qualified manufacturers ensure that the parts necessary to place the crown, bridge, or prosthesis on top of the implant are high quality and will not loosen or break the denture.
• Quality control in the manufacturing process of implants must be regulated.
• Top brands do research to improve the chances of successful treatments.

3. Warranty

• Confirm with the specialist that your treatment is guaranteed. If for any reason you lose the dental implant, what should you expect?

The price of dental implants varies greatly, as there are several factors that can influence the price.

Some aspects to consider are:

• If you have lost one or more teeth
• If you have one or more teeth that must be removed to place implants
• The amount of time that has passed since your teeth were lost or removed
• The reason you lost your teeth
• Whether or not you need a provisional piece

In addition to the aforementioned factors, the following factors also determine the price:

1. The quality of the implant: This will be directly correlated to the investment that the company allocates to research and development, design, and the material of the implants.
2. The surface and the material of the implant: The price of the implant will also depend on the surface and material from which it is made, and how these materials maintain the health of patient’s tissues, so that they remain both esthetically pleasing and stable.
3. The connection between the crown and the implant: The connection between the crown and the implant will depend on the quality of the screw that joins them. If the screw is weak and fractures or becomes loose, it often forces the crown to be redone.

Dental implants in spaces where one or more teeth have been lost

This treatment requires only opening the gum and placing the implant. In some cases where the teeth have been absent for a long time or there is not enough bone, an additional bone graft is required, either on the day of the implant placement or before.

Immediate Placement of Implants

Immediate placement of implants means that the dental implant is placed when the tooth extracion is performed. To determine if this is possible, a prior assessment must be carried out by the specialists at our dental clinic in San Pedro or in Escazú.

Benefits of this treatment include:

• Less surgical interventions for the patient.
• Limited recovery time.
• Less time to have the final crown.
• Better preservation of the bone and gum of the patient, which translates to a more attractive and functional final result.
• In many cases, it is even possible to put a fixed provisional tooth on the implant that we have just placed. This is a major benefit to the patient, who, on the same day, will leave the clinic with a fixed tooth in their mouth. This procedure is known as “Immediate Loading.”
• This “Immediate Loading” technique is especially common in the front teeth when the implant has been placed very firmly in the bone.

Implant Supported Dentures

Dental implants replenish the stability of a denture, allowing it to behave as if it were a fixed denture.

Total Denture over dental implants (Hybrid Bar) All on 4:

In patients who have lost all their teeth or have teeth that need to be removed entirely, between 4 and 6 implants can be placed in one instance in order to return oral function to the patient. These treatments are known as All on 4 or All on 6.

The procedure: a total denture screwed to the implants is placed on these implants, which makes it a fixed denture. The benefits of this procedure include stability of the denture when speaking, eating meals that would be impossible with a total removable denture, greater comfort for the patient, and an increase in the patient´s self-esteem.

Full rehabilitation on implants (Crowns and bridges) Full mouth:

In cases where most or all teeth have been lost but the patient does not want to have a fixed implant denture, more implants can be placed. Almost all the teeth can be replaced with crowns and bridges.