By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez
Ever since George Washington’s infamous false teeth – made of ivory, not wood, and fastened to his remaining teeth – the dilemma of missing teeth have troubled people.
After years of bridges and dentures, many patients have realized what dentists have known: that dental implants — replacement tooth roots — can be the best treatment for missing teeth. And now improvements make the procedure even more accessible for many.
Dental implants create a strong foundation for permanent teeth or removable teeth like dentures. Implants are placed in the jawbone so they can fuse with the natural bone and create a strong and sturdy foundation for replacement teeth.
The dental implant is a tapered post usually made of titanium. An abutment serves as a connector that is built on top of the implant. Then a crown acts as the replacement tooth and sits on top.
The procedure usually requires a team effort, which can include an oral surgeon and/or a periodontist to extract remaining teeth and prep the implant area; and the dentist to attach the replacement tooth to the implant.
Implants can be used to replace a single tooth or a bridge for several teeth. They can also be used to help keep a denture in place or to create an entire jaw of nonremovable teeth.
The advantages of dental implants are many: they look like the patient’s natural teeth, are comfortable, easy to maintain and are not susceptible to decay.
“Implants are a good modality for when a patient has a number of teeth that are failing and doesn’t want a denture or have anything removable,” says Robert M. Sacks, D.D.S., Oakhurst.
Sacks has been treating patients with dental implants for more than 30 years and says they have come a long way over the years. “There are a lot of variations of them now,” said Sacks, who has been voted a NJ Monthly Top Dentist for eight years (one of only a handful of Monmouth County general dentists to make the list). “The technique has become more sophisticated since their initial use.”
However not everyone is a candidate for implants. Using 3D x-rays, the dentist will determine if there’s enough bone to support an implant or if bone grafting is needed by a periodontist or oral surgeon.
With advancements in the implant procedure and an aging population, dental implants are becoming more common, he said.
“Over time, teeth will crack and can become brittle. Teeth that have been heavily filled many years ago are more prone to cracking and people are living longer, thus the interest in replacing them if no longer restorable,” he said.
“The good news is if you maintain good home care, have a good diet and keep a close attachment to your dentist, your teeth should outlive you.”
One of Sacks’ patients, Jean Mizrahi of Deal, was plagued with dental problems over the years.
“I knew I didn’t want dentures,” she said. “My father had dentures and the kids would laugh when he took them out.” She remembered her father’s discomfort with dentures, how they slipped and needed to be repeatedly relined and readjusted. “The implants have been perfect for me.”
Mizrahi has had multiple dental implants, on both top and bottom. “I’m very happy with what I have.”
Depending on the number of teeth that need to be replaced, the type of artificial teeth used, as well as crowns, fixed or removable bridges, or dentures, the cost could be prohibitive for some. A single implant crown can cost between $1,000 and $3,000 and dental insurance plans may not cover the entire cost.
Carlos Meulener, D.M.D., of Meulener Dental in Little Silver, performs about 50 dental implant procedures a year and agrees the number is growing. Meulener recently welcomed his son Brian Meulener, D.M.D., to the 35-year-old practice.
“When they first started in dentistry, implants were thought of as taboo by establishment of dental field,” said Meulener, who says dental implants got its start in the 1950s by a Swedish orthopedic surgeon interested in studying bone healing and regeneration.
“They’ve come a long way,” he said. “They’re more predictable now, designs are much better and we understand how to place them and load them…Now it’s more of a replica of an actual dental root.”
Although at one time Meulener says to learn the dental implant procedure “you’d have to get your education at a hospital. Now it’s so commonplace, they’re even teaching that in dental school.”
Whether it’s a single implant or a permanent bridge, he says, it has changed the way the profession treats tooth replacement.
“Now if someone has a missing tooth and they’re candidates for implants, that’s the No. 1 choice for dentists.”
