Temporary tooth replacement for implants

This is an example of a typical stayplate with hidden metal/acrylic.

If you have been looking to have a tooth replaced with a dental implant, you were probably surprised to learn about the treatment time line. Some television shows and ads make implants seem like a single step process- you go to the dentist, they place the titanium anchor and attach a crown in a single visit. On the contrary, most implants need about six months to fully heal before being fitted with a crown. For patients replacing anterior teeth, this can be a huge esthetic concern. 

When preparing for anterior implants, careful planning and consideration can make the difference between "acceptable" results and "outstanding" results. With this in mind, we typically do not recommend putting an immediate load on the implant (placing a crown at the same visit as the surgery). This allows time for proper bone healing and gives us a chance to perfect the soft tissue around the anchor and create a natural gum line. However, you certainly can't walk around for six months with a missing front tooth!

To fill in the time between implant surgery and crown placement, we typically have our lab create a temporary partial denture called a stayplate. These devices, also known as flippers, are removable partial dentures that are made prior to implant placement. At the same visit as your surgery, you leave the office with the fitted stayplate replacing the missing tooth or teeth. They are typically made out of acrylic and metal and more closely resemble orthodontic retainers than traditional dentures. In most instances, the clasps, wires and acrylic are fully hidden from your smile, presenting only the replaced tooth!

We use stayplates as temporary tooth replacements in a number of circumstances. However, we do not use them on the back teeth (molars and premolars) to restore chewing function. Due to the design and materials used in stayplates, they cannot be used for eating and can cause irritation to the underlying gum tissue. For a full picture on stayplates and what they can accomplish, please give our office a call! 

Case Presentation: Premolar Implant

Every day, our office sees patients with a wide variety of restorative needs, each of which we try to match on an individual basis. Today's patient came to us with decay in their second premolar that structurally compromised the tooth. Radiographs revealed that there was not enough healthy enamel/dentin left to do a traditional filling or crown, so we had to consider other treatment possibilities. After reviewing options with the patient, it was decided that the tooth should be extracted and replaced with an implant by one of our specialists. 

Take a look at how the decayed (darker appearing) tooth was removed and replaced with a titanium implant. 

After the implant was placed and healed, we took impressions to make a custom mounting for the final crown (called an abutment). Since the second premolar is far back in the mouth, we had our lab create a gold abutment matched to a porcelain and metal crown. This combination of materials allowed us to create a crown that was both durable and beautiful without risking damage to the opposing teeth. The patient gets all the structural benefits of a metal crown, but with no metal showing. Careful planning provided us with great results; both our office and the patient were ecstatic with the outcome!

The final product! Notice how natural the implant crown looks in the patient's mouth. 

Overall, dental implant cases typically take about 8 months from start to finish. The vast majority of this time is spent making sure the implant is healed correctly and properly integrated into bone. In the meantime, there are numerous other considerations and adjustments needed: the appearance of the surrounding gum tissue, the color/shade of the crown and even the shape/material of the underlying abutment. If you are interested in an having a dental implant placed or are just curious about what goes into making an implant, please feel free to call our office! We are always happy to walk you through any of our procedures!

The Bottle Opener Implant

Warning: the above video includes footage from a dental surgery. Please be advised. 

Here is a service we WON'T be offering at our office! Salta, an Argentinean beer company, decided to support their local rugby clubs in a unique way. Players who lost teeth due to gameplay injuries were sponsored to receive dental implants. However, these were no normal implants. As you can see in the video above, the players' new teeth incorporated working bottle openers- a truly wild idea! While the procedure is "questionable" at best, it does underline the importance of mouth guards and dental safety in contact sports. Implant or not, we never recommend trying to open a bottle (or anything else) with your teeth!