Dental implant technology has changed significantly and in doing so has revolutionized care. Traditionally, patients may have been reluctant to get dental help. Because they may not wanted to have a period without teeth while the implants integrate with the bone. The traditional procedure requires removal of the teeth, placement of the implants and waiting 3-6 months for healing time. However, a new alternative is now available.
Argyle Associates in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery can provide teeth in a day or even better, teeth in 5 hours. This technique requires a team of skilled professionals. The process is performed by certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons and a dentist to complete the final phase and a highly-trained staff on-site during the surgery.
The patient receives sedation or general anaesthesia, the teeth in the upper or lower arch are removed, a minimum of 4 implants are placed in the jaw and the prosthesis is fabricated on-site and inserted immediately. The prosthesis is screwed into the implants which means the teeth are fixed and not removed.
There are several advantages to this technique. First, there is a faster return to function and work, significantly less pain because the denture is not rubbing over where the teeth were removed and the new prosthesis acts as a bandaid protecting the site. The patient can comfortably eat solid foods, has immediate improved cosmetics, as well as a new confident smile.
Essentially you walk in with teeth and you leave with teeth. The process generally takes 4 to 5 hours, however, as with any surgical procedure every case is different and the length of the procedure will vary.
Candidates of teeth in a day are either completely without teeth or have teeth that can’t be saved. The general medical health of the patient is considered, as in any surgical intervention, however, if medical issues exist, oral and maxillofacial surgeons have the privilege of operating out of the Ottawa Hospital.
The main criteria for immediate teeth, or more accurately, immediate loading of implants, are that the bone has to be adequate to have an insertion torque of the implants into the bone at 35 Ncm (they have to be tight in the bone). If we can’t get the implants stable at time of surgery, we will place the implants and wait the traditional 3-6 months before placing the final prosthesis but they can have a traditional removable prosthesis during the healing time.
This concept has been available for over 10 years and has a high success rate. A recent study by Babbush et al, placing seven hundred and eight implants in 165 patients had a cumulative success rate of 99.6 per cent. The process starts by being referred to our office by your dentist or by directly contacting us for a consultation. A treatment plan will be developed that suits the patient’s needs. There are several options, starting with the least expensive traditional removable dentures to the most complex reconstruction with multiple implants.
The patient here is a 76-year old male. As you can see, age is not a factor. He was frustrated with multiple broken teeth and chronic pain. He wanted a total treatment option not just fixing one problem at a time. He also wanted only one surgery. We created a digital treatment plan and proceeded to perform the surgery under sedation in the office. The all-in-4 treatment was delivered in one day. He had an immediate return to function, minimal pain and was satisfied with the final result.
Case file and images belong to Dr. Hassan Moghadam, DDS, MSc, FRCDC. The surgery was performed by Dr. Moghadam at Argyle Associates in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
For more information visit: argyleassociates.com
