Dental implants

The major advantages of dental implants are that they, unlike for example removable dentures or bridges, are attached to the jawbone. The reason titanium screws are used for implants is that titanium has been shown to work well with the body's tissues and has a unique ability to grow together with the jawbone, which reduces the risk of the implant being rejected. Dental implants also stimulate the jawbone more like a real tooth so that the level of the jawbone is maintained and not lost due to tooth loss.

This means that with a dental implant, you can avoid several of the health problems that arise when you're missing teeth in your dental row. Another major advantage of dental implants compared to so-called bridges is that dental implants don't require you to grind and drill into healthy neighboring teeth.

At Swedish Dental Group, we have chosen to collaborate with Nobel Biocare and Straumann regarding implant systems because their implants guarantee high quality and are a security for our patients. There are also studies, research, and long clinical experience that support their implants.

Before the implants can be placed, you will meet a dentist for consultation and an examination including X-rays. During the examination, we determine if you are a suitable candidate. One of the biggest factors that determines if dental implants are a suitable solution for you is that you have a strong and healthy jawbone and are healthy in the rest of your mouth. Certain diseases and medications can mean that the risk of complications increases and that dental implants may therefore be unsuitable. For children, you also need to wait with implants until the jawbone has finished growing to avoid complications.

When the examination is complete and any pre-treatments (such as fillings, tartar removal, etc.) are done and your mouth is considered suitable for implants, it's time to plan for attachment of the implant or implants. How many are to be attached depends on how many teeth are to be replaced, but for example, with a completely toothless upper jaw, you may need as many as six implants to provide a stable result.

Dental implants are attached during a surgical procedure that only requires the same type of local anesthesia as when a tooth is filled. When the anesthesia is applied, the dentist will make an incision in the gum and fold back the thin gum to access the jawbone. In the jawbone, a hole is drilled for each dental implant and the titanium screws are then screwed into the holes. After that, the gum is sutured back in place, in some cases the dental implant needs to heal under the gum and in other cases a small abutment can be screwed onto the dental implant which will then protrude through the gum.

After the surgical procedure is complete, a certain healing time is needed for the implants to grow in and integrate into the bone. How long this takes varies, but often it's about 3 months but sometimes it can take up to six months depending on the hardness of the jawbone. You will come for check-ups with your dentist to ensure that healing is progressing as expected.

When the implants have integrated into the jawbone and healed properly, it's time to get your new teeth. After an impression of your teeth, a dental technician will produce plaster models of both your jaws to be able to make your specially adapted crown or bridge.

If it's a single tooth to be replaced, the crown is screwed directly onto the implant or cemented onto a abutment. If several teeth are replaced, a bridge is made that is screwed onto the implants.