Dental implant in a novel technique to replace lost tooth. Traditionally a lost tooth or teeth were replaced by a removable denture or a fixed partial denture (Commonly known as crown and bridge). Nowadays dental implant offers a new technique where in by a small surgical procedure a titanium screw is screwed into your jaw bone which remains there for 3 months, which is the time required to consolidate that screw with your jaw bone. Thereafter is a tooth is fixed to that screw.

» Who needs Dental Implants
Any body who has lost a tooth can replace it with dental implants. Age is no barrier, but a successful implants placement requires a preoperative clinical examination and a radiograph to measure the actual bone and size of implant. There are few medical contraindications like uncontrolled diabetes, immuno compromised diseases, irradiated bone which do not allow implant placement.

» What are the risks Associated with Surgery
The magnitude of surgical insult is minor in the cases of implant placement and except slight swelling and pain at the surgical site; there are no major risks involved. This too can be minimized by gentle soft tissue handling. May require usage of antibiotic and analgesics to counter the pain and swelling.

» Advanced Dental Implant Procedures
In many cases the bone present in the jaw is insufficient to hold the implant and an additional advanced surgery may be required to augment the bone in your jaw.

• Bone Grafting - In cases where there is insufficient bone, bone grafting may be needed. A graft may be take from some other site of patients body or may be artificial bone. The purpose is to place the graft at site of dental implant and depending upon individual cases an implant may be placed at the same time or at a later date when sufficient bone forms.
• Maxillary Sinus Lift - Maxillary Sinus is an open cavity present in the upper jaw and it humidifies the inspired air. Some times there is lack of bone volume beneath the maxillary sinus cavity and height of jaw bone insufficient to hold the implant and placement of implant may perforate the sinus. In such cases maxillofacial surgeon can perform maxillary sinus lift where in a window is made in the jaw bone to lift the sinus membrane and bone graft is deposited in the area from where sinus lining has been elevated. The implant can be placed at the same time or at later date. It is a minor surgical procedure and complication include pain, swelling and perforation of maxillary sinus lining. With gentle handling complication can be minimised. The procedure is done on out patient basis under local anesthesia.