Implants

Implants are basically titanium roots. The majority that are being done now kind of look like those plastic drywall anchors that are used to hang pictures. They are cylinders that are placed down inside an area of bone that has been "cored". They are generally tapped into place to get a snug fit. It usually takes bone about three or four months to grow and calcify around the implant. This all takes place "underground" so to speak. You can't really see much above the gumline. At this point a cap or crown is fitted to the implant and held there by a small screw that goes through the crown and into the implant. The implant has threads on the inside that allows the screw to be tightened.

Getting implants is only half the story. Each implant has to have something placed on top of it, whether it's a crown or a bridge or some type of overdenture.

• what is the correct dental name for bone grafts?? what is alveloplasty and mandibular alveolectomy? I was told I would get bone gr...
  
  

what is the correct dental name for bone grafts?? what is alveloplasty and mandibular alveolectomy? I was told I would get bone grafts to replace my bone loss in the back and then put inplants in. instead the dr removed my bone in the front and in the bottom front . I already had bad bone loss in back and so why would he remove more bone and not tell me. Now I have less than a 4 to put in inplants when before I had a 5 in front. so now we are having problems putting inpants screws in the front top of my mouth because he took off too much bone. sod now he wants to use ssmall pins or sscrews on my upper in order to put in a fixed implant. why would he remove all that bone and instead of putting in 12 teeth he wants to just put in 10 and cut it off before it reaches the back of my mouth. my feeling is that this was faster for him to not do the bone grafts but he still charged me for the bone grafts. I am not sure if I should change oral drs before he messes up the upper teeth as we wanted a fixed implant. thanks
"Plasty" generally means to smooth out or even out. "Ectomy" means to trim or cut. When working with bone a dentist often does both. Your surgeon is probably trying to even out the bone so that it makes it easier to place implants. Uneven areas that remain would then be candidates for bone grafts. The results are not 100% predictable because whenever you cut or graft bone there is always resorption. How much resorption is variable. Dropping the number from 12 to 10 means your dentist is not sure if the bone in the back can support the most posterior teeth.