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Dental implantation is a modern method of restoring the dentition
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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Dental implantation involves replacing the roots of lost teeth, that is, installing a special structure into the jaw bone tissue in place of the missing teeth.
In the process of fusion with bone tissue (osseointegration), implants allow - with the help of subsequent prosthetics - to restore the dental row and thereby normalize the functions of the dental system.
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Dental implantation of teeth: from iron to titanium
Currently, titanium and its alloys are used for dental implantation in global dental practice. Titanium is much more resistant to chemicals and corrosion than stainless steel and is used in the construction of aircraft, submarines and nuclear reactors.
The latest technologies of dental implantation are the achievement of the 20th century. However, the oldest dental implant - a wrought iron tooth in the upper jaw - was found in a skull at a burial site in France. According to X-ray examination, the owner of the implanted iron tooth lived about 1900 years ago. This discovery pushed into second place a unique artifact accidentally found in 1931 by an American botanical expedition in the Ulua River Valley in Honduras. It was a part of the lower jaw that belonged to a Mayan woman who lived about 1400 years ago. A dark stone was inserted into this jaw instead of the left incisor, and an X-ray showed that this "implant" was inserted during life and even overgrown with bone tissue. So the Mayan Indians practiced implantation long before Columbus discovered America.
Titanium was first used in dental implantation in the middle of the last century. Swedish professor Per-Ingvar Branemark (not a dentist, but an orthopedic surgeon) and a group of colleagues from Lund University conducted scientific research on bone healing. During the experiments, a titanium rod inserted into the femur of a lab rabbit literally grew together with the bone. Successful research led to the discovery of ideal osseointegration of technically pure titanium, which they decided to test on the jaw bone. Thus, in 1965, the first titanium dental implant was installed.
One of the latest innovations in the field of dental implantation is the application of a biologically active coating to titanium implants, which accelerates and strengthens their integration into the bone.
Advantages of dental implantation
The advantages of dental implantation are obvious. Replacing the roots of missing teeth with an implant - regardless of their number - allows for their complete restoration: it is possible to implant a front tooth or any chewing tooth, as well as complete implantation of teeth (when there are almost or no natural teeth left). At the same time, dental implantation of teeth gives a chance to reproduce not only a highly aesthetic appearance of the dentition (which looks absolutely natural), but also to ensure the full functioning of the teeth. The “working” period of implants is from 10 to 25 years.
In addition, if a bridge prosthesis is planned to be installed after dental implantation, there is no need to grind down the adjacent teeth. And fixing removable dentures on implants will eliminate all the problems that often accompany wearing them. Dentists claim that removable structures installed on dental implants do not have to be removed from the mouth every day: it is quite sufficient to carry out hygienic care for them every 7-10 days.
Implantation in the absence of teeth provides a real opportunity to refuse removable dentures, replacing them with conditionally removable structures. Or to install non-removable structures, which in the absence of teeth and almost complete atrophy of the alveolar process of the jaw cannot be used. As experts note, in this case, any type of prosthetics based on dental implants will be more comfortable for patients and effective in terms of the functioning of their dental system.
Disadvantages of dental implantation
According to implant dentists, the survival rate of titanium dental implants is very high - at the level of 95-98%. But the probability of getting into those 2-5% of cases when the body rejects the "foreigner" certainly exists. In addition, the presence of an implant in the mouth requires not only careful care at home, but also systematic hygienic procedures performed professionally, that is, mandatory visits to the dentist.
You should be prepared for the fact that dental implantation will require maximum patience and a fairly long time (from several months to a year - depending on the specific case). Also, one of the significant disadvantages of dental implantation is its high cost.
For reference, the minimum prices for dental implantation in the UK (according to the Global Dental Implants Market review) are 1800 euros per tooth, in Italy - 1300 euros, in Germany and Slovenia - 1000 euros, in Croatia - 800 euros. An American pays $2000 for one dental implant, a resident of China - from $900 to $1500.
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Dental implant systems
Today, industrial production of intraosseous dental implants is carried out in 24 countries of the world, and dental implantation has grown to 18% in the dental services market. The pioneer in the production of dental implantation systems - Nobel Biocare (Sweden) - has been producing implants for dentistry since 1981. Root-shaped implants can be used for the classic two-stage and one-stage implantation methods. Nobel Biocare implants use a special TiUnite coating, which ensures good engraftment and high reliability of the implants.
Swedish company AstraTech has developed a universal dental implantation system
Astra Tech Implants Dental System, which is used all over the world and has proven itself to be of high quality and reliable in solving almost any problems associated with tooth loss.
The Swiss company Straumann produces some of the best dental implants in the world. For example, the latest model SLActive, thanks to its innovative coating, takes root in the patient's jaw in just a month.
Screw implants from the Israeli company Alpha-Bio Tec are successfully used by dental clinics in 48 countries. Conical implants SPI and DFI are especially popular. And specialists install dental implant systems from the company Bicon Dental Implants (USA) even in cases where the degree of gum bone atrophy does not allow the installation of implants of other systems.
Among the implants manufactured in Germany, specialists recommend the TissueCare conical system from the Ankylos brand. This system is easy to use and provides maximum functionality combined with an excellent aesthetic appearance of dental implants.
Types of dental implantation, or rather types of endosteal (intraosseous) implants - depending on their shape - are divided into screw, cylindrical, conical, tubular, plate, with steps, with cortical pads, etc.
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Stages of dental implantation
Many people are interested in how dental implantation occurs. Dental implantation technology involves the step-by-step implantation of artificial roots of lost teeth.
A very important stage is preparation for dental implantation. First of all, all existing teeth must be treated - to avoid the risk of infection and even implant rejection. During the examination and preparation of the treatment plan, the implantologist must describe the entire process (treatment protocol) and select the type of implant design and the method of its implantation into the jaw, which are most suitable for each specific patient - taking into account the method of subsequent prosthetics.
Preparation for dental implantation includes a comprehensive examination of the oral cavity and teeth using an orthopantomogram (a digital panoramic image of the jaw is taken) and computed tomography (CT). The data from these studies provide an idea of the general condition of the oral cavity, jaw bone tissue, as well as its anatomical features or defects.
To successfully perform the operation, you will need to take tests for dental implantation: a general blood test, a blood test for sugar, HIV, hepatitis and venereal diseases.
At stage II, bone tissue is built up on the jaw (with two-stage implantation), the volume of which, with a long-term absence of a tooth, significantly decreases (atrophies) both in width and height. For bone tissue grafting, either the patient's own bone (autograft from the ilium, chin or back of the jaw) or various allografts and alloplasts are used. The healing period of the grafted bone is at least 3-4 months. As experts note, 70-80% of patients cannot avoid this stage of dental implantation, since the structures must be securely fixed in the jaw bone, while the deficiency of bone tissue prevents this.
Currently, sinus lifting or subantral augmentation is used to install dental implants on the upper jaw. During this operation, in order to increase the width of the bone tissue of the jaw ridge, the bottom of the maxillary sinus is lifted and artificial bone tissue is placed in the vacated niche. After several months - after it has fused with the jaw bone - a dental implant can be implanted.
The actual installation of the implants occurs at stage III. The surgical operation to insert the implant, replacing the roots of the tooth, is performed under local anesthesia. Dental implantation under anesthesia (i.e. general anesthesia) is performed extremely rarely and only in those rare cases when several implants are installed simultaneously.
To install a dental implant, the gum tissue is cut, a hole (bed) corresponding to the size of the titanium structure is drilled in the bone, the implant is inserted into it, a screw-plug is placed on top, and the gum is sutured. The gum tissue can be cut not with a scalpel, but with a laser. This is the so-called laser dental implantation or bloodless dental implantation. The procedure of cutting the mucous tissue of the gum, which lasts no more than half an hour.
At the same time, according to dentists, the probability of implant rejection is minimal, and absolute sterility is the key to very fast healing. But this is not possible in all dental clinics (due to the lack of such equipment), and such an operation will cost 20% more than when using traditional instruments.
The stitches after dental implantation are usually removed after 7-10 days. But the implant will fuse with the jaw bone for 4-6 months, and in some cases - a year or longer.
If the restoration of the dental row is carried out using a dismountable (two-piece screw) implant, then the next stage is the installation of its superstructure (suprastructure) or abutment - that is, a special "adapter" between the dental implant and the structure that will be used for prosthetics. The gum is again dissected, the plug is removed, and the abutment is screwed in its place. After this operation (which is also done under anesthesia), the gum tissue heals within two weeks.
In one-stage dental implantation methods, non-separable structures (one-stage) are used, in which the abutment and the intraosseous rod are a single whole, and the part on which the dental prosthesis will be located is immediately above the gum. This allows for the implantation process to be accelerated.
The final stage of dental implantation is the installation of artificial teeth, i.e. prosthetics. Prosthetics can be carried out using various designs: cement or screw fixation of crowns and bridges, removable prosthesis with several mounting options.
Dental implantation methods
Depending on the method of dental implantation, a distinction is made between two-stage and one-stage dental implantation.
Two-stage dental implantation, which many specialists call classical, is a very lengthy procedure with surgical intervention (its technology is briefly described in the previous section on the stages of dental implantation). Even if there are no indications for increasing the volume of jaw bone tissue, two-stage dental implantation lasts at least six months, since it is carried out with a disassemblable two-piece screw implant.
One-stage dental implantation, which uses non-separable structures, allows you to install an implant in one visit and not wait long for the installation of an artificial tooth. This method of implantation has such common names as express dental implantation, one-stage dental implantation, instant dental implantation.
However, as specialists in this field of dentistry note, with this method of dental implantation there is a risk that the implant will not grow into the jaw bone tissue firmly enough, and subsequent prosthetics may be unsuccessful.
In addition, such a type of one-stage implantation as endoscopic dental implantation, which patients call dental implantation in one day, is used only immediately after tooth extraction: the implant is installed in the tooth alveolus, that is, if it is intact and there is bone. And in this case, a solid one-piece structure takes the place of the lost tooth without cutting the gum - in just one visit to the dentist. And the crown is put on the implant a few days later.
Basal dental implantation
The newest technologies of dental implantation include basal dental implantation. Its main difference from other methods is that there is no need to build up bone tissue. Here, implants are inserted into deeper basal layers of bone, which are not subject to atrophy, which is inevitable with complete or partial loss of teeth.
Developed in Switzerland, basal osseointegrated implants (BOI implants) have a fundamentally different design (resembling an inverted T). In addition, they are installed from the side of the jaw bone.
BOI implants are immediately fitted with bridges, and patients gain beautiful teeth and can chew food within a week of the operation.
However, basal dental implantation is only used for the restoration of three or more teeth.
Contraindications to dental implantation
Since dental implantation involves surgical intervention, there are contraindications to dental implantation. Absolute contraindications include osteoporosis, systemic connective tissue diseases (scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.), chronic renal and hepatic failure, mental disorders, addiction to alcohol and drugs. Dental implantation is also not performed in diabetes. Age restrictions for installing dental implants are old age and age up to 16-18 years.
Relative contraindications to dental implantation are associated with the presence of ischemic heart disease, arterial hypertension, blood diseases, tuberculosis, malignant tumors and a general decrease in immunity. Dental implantation in case of periodontosis (in severe forms) and malocclusion is also contraindicated.
Experts advise approaching the issue of "pregnancy and dental implantation" with caution and taking into account such factors as anesthesia during the operation and the likelihood of taking any medications after it. Not to mention the inevitability of additional and unwanted worries for the expectant mother.
Complications after dental implantation
According to clinical practice, complications after dental implantation are observed in less than 5% of cases and are expressed in the form of pain, swelling and bleeding.
Pain after dental implantation occurs after the anesthesia wears off and can last up to three days. If the pain lasts longer, you should see a doctor to make sure there is no inflammation or nerve damage.
Swelling after dental implantation (edema) is a natural phenomenon. The surgical site begins to swell a couple of hours after the operation, reaches its maximum on the third day, and the swelling disappears in a week. But if you apply a cold compress to the cheek (an ice pack wrapped in a towel for 15 minutes, every 30 minutes), the swelling will disappear faster.
Minor bleeding from a cut and sutured gum for a few days should not cause concern. However, in the case of longer bleeding, which may cause damage to a vessel, you should consult a doctor who will prescribe appropriate medications.
Treatment after dental implantation
Treatment after dental implantation is aimed at relieving pain and accelerating healing, for which doctors recommend the dental adhesive paste Solcoseryl. The drug is well tolerated and has no contraindications, it should be applied to the gum sutures twice a day.
In the first days after the dental implant installation procedure, you need to do oral baths with antiseptic solutions: 0.05% Chlorhexidine solution or 0.01% Miramistin solution (keep the preparation in your mouth for 3-4 minutes several times a day - after meals).
For pain after dental implantation, doctors recommend taking non-steroidal analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs. For example, fast-dissolving tablets Nise (analogues - Nimesulide, Nimesil) are prescribed 100 mg twice a day after meals. The maximum daily dose is 400 mg. One tablet of the drug should be dissolved in a teaspoon of water. The drug is usually well tolerated and can be used for 10 days.
Rehabilitation after dental implantation will be problem-free if you strictly follow all post-operative recommendations of the implantologist.
Thus, it is necessary to exclude any physical activity, avoid hypothermia, overheating and air travel. Alcohol after dental implantation, as well as smoking for two weeks, are strictly contraindicated. Sneezing, blowing your nose or coughing should be done with caution (with your mouth closed).
Where to get dental implants? Some tips
Where to have dental implantation is your personal choice, but it should be a reputable dental clinic with a special, well-equipped dental implantation department. Moreover, you need to choose a clinic that will give you a guarantee that the initially calculated “estimated cost” of the entire procedure will not increase during its implementation…
It is useful to inquire about the reviews of the clinic's clients or about a specific dental implant specialist. By the way, reviews about dental implantation posted on the websites of some domestic clinics are often posted by their own employees.
For reference, dental implantation is currently widely practiced in 196 countries. According to the US Association of Maxillofacial Surgeons, 69% of adult Americans (35 to 44 years old) have lost at least one permanent tooth for various reasons. In addition, more than 74% of elderly residents of the country have lost all their teeth. And world statistics indicate that three quarters of the population of our planet have partial absence of teeth.