Things you have to know about implants

1. No harm to neighbouring teeth: unlike bridges you don’t prepare the teeth next to the empty space. As when you make a bridge the neighbouring teeth are ground down to allow for a 3 unit bridge.
2. Long-Lasting: Dental implants are a great investment, usually lasting for 30 or more years, twice as long as other restorations. With proper oral hygiene, dental implants can last for the rest of your life.
3. Prevent bone loss and tooth movement: Unlike fixed bridges, dental implants can preserve the health of your jawbone. Once a tooth is lost, the bone in that area begins to atrophy over time because the jawbone is no longer receiving stimulation. Dental implants replace the roots of the missing teeth, mimicking their stimulation of the jawbone and preventing further deterioration.
4. Can be changed or updated: The top portion of the implant can be changed or updated throughout the patient’s life. If an implant was first placed to replace a single missing tooth, it can be swapped out to help support a bridge if nearby teeth are later extracted. If many or all of a patient’s teeth end up being removed, the crown or bridge can be changed to a snap to help support a partial or complete denture. This ability to modify an implant helps the patient to continue to benefit from the implant as they age and indications change.
5. Looks & Feels Natural: Dental implants are custom made to match the appearance and function of your natural teeth. You’ll be able to eat and speak naturally and won’t feel self-conscious about your smile. 

The most common causes of gingival recession are:

• Aggressive brushing – Brushing too hard or brushing with a hard-bristled toothbrush can erode the tooth enamel at the gum line, and irritate or inflame gum tissue.
• Poor oral hygiene – So plaque accumulation results and with plaque comes bacterial, lots of them ! and that’s the beginning of the problem.
• Chewing tobacco – Any kind of tobacco use has devastating effects on the entire oral cavity. Chewing tobacco in particular, aggravates the gingival lining of the mouth and causes gum recession if used continuously.
• Periodontal disease – Periodontal disease can be a result of improper oral hygiene or caused by systemic diseases such as diabetes. The excess sugars in the mouth and narrowed blood vessels experienced by diabetics create a perfect environment for oral bacteria. The bacterium causes an infection which progresses deeper and deeper into the gum and bone tissue, eventually resulting in tooth loss.

With Mounir Dental Clinic there are no worries anymore ! because the solution to gum recessions is a wide variety from surgical approaches to non-surgical approaches. FIRST you have to know the cause of gum recession afterwards everything is easy.

For example: if aggressive brushing is the cause then a softer toothbrush and a gentler brushing technique should be used. If poor oral hygiene is a problem, prophylaxis (professional dental cleaning) may be recommended to rid the gum pockets of debris and bacteria. In the case of a severe calculus (tartar) build up, scaling and root planing will be performed to heal the gingival inflammation and clean the teeth.

If the case is severe then a surgery of a more cosmetic or restorative nature may be recommended. Gum tissue regeneration and gum grafting are two excellent ways to restore natural symmetry to the gums and make the smile look more aesthetically pleasing.

Types of bone grafts:

1) Autogenous: In other words Your Own Bone
In this type of graft the bone is removed from elsewhere in the body and implanted in the mouth.

2) Heterogeneous: The Synthetic type that has many subtypes.

• Allograft: Synthetic bone can be created in the laboratory and used in the bone grafting procedure.
• Xenograft: This is the implantation of bovine (cow) bone. A xenograft is perfectly safe and has been used successfully for many years.

A bone graft may be required to: 

• create a stable base for dental implant placement, to halt the progression of gum disease or to make the smile appear more aesthetically pleasing.
• elevate the maxillary sinus membrane (Sinus Lift) so that implants can be securely placed.
• fill in the ridge and make the jawbone a uniform shape (Ridge Augmentation).
• Move the inferior alveolar nerve to allow for the placement of implants (Nerve Repositioning).

Here are some of the most common types of gum grafting:

• Free gingival graft – This procedure is often used to thicken gum tissue. A layer of tissue is removed from the palate and relocated to the area affected by gum recession. Both sites will quickly heal without permanent damage.
• Subepithelial connective tissue graft – This procedure is commonly used to cover exposed roots. Tissue is removed fairly painlessly from the outer layer of the palate and relocated to the site of gum recession.

Why do we do gum graft? As we all know that gum

• Reduced sensitivity – When the tooth root becomes exposed, eating or drinking hot or cold foods can cause extreme sensitivity to the teeth. Gum grafting surgery permanently covers the exposed root, helps reduce discomfort, and restores the good health of the gums.
• Improved appearance – Periodontal disease is characterized by gum recession and inflammation. Gum recession and root exposure can make the teeth look longer than normal and the smile to appear “toothy.” Gum grafting can make the teeth look shorter, more symmetrical and generally more pleasing to look at.
• Improved gum health – Periodontal disease can progress and destroy gum tissue very rapidly. If left untreated, a large amount of gum tissue can be lost in a short period of time. Gum grafting can stop tissue and bone loss; preventing further problems and protecting exposed roots from further decay.

Platelet Rich Fibrin (PRF) can be incorporated into just about every oral surgery procedure; wisdom teeth, tooth extractions, implants, bone grafts, and sinus lifts.

Using PRF speeds up how quickly the surgical site heals by stimulating the body to accelerate it’s normal processes. This causes soft tissue (gums) to close faster and it has Bone Morphogenic Proteins (BMPs) that help create new bone quickly.

A small sample of your blood is taken, then centrifuged to concentrate the healing molecules in a clot in a test tube and it is then used at the healing site. There’s no harm as the clot is entirely yours!