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Dental Implantology Terms Explained

If you are searching for more in depth knowledge on dental implants, it is understandable. As a potential patient, the terms used can be quite confusing.

We made a list of vitals terms most commonly used in dental implant Perth procedures that you must be aware of to help you navigate through the process in detail.

- Single Tooth Dental Implant (You are missing one tooth)

Acts as a permanent replacement for a lost tooth root wherein a false tooth is attached. It is driven into the jawbone using a screw.

- All-On-Four (All-on-4) Dental Implants (You are missing multiple teeth)

All-on-four protocol refers to the four implants placed into the jaw bone that anchors a full set of teeth for the upper or lower jaw. It is an option when there are multiple gaps that need filling in so you don’t have to have one implant per tooth gap. The implants support an entire arch of teeth, much like what a traditional denture looks like.

The prosthodontic procedure treats an entire set of missing teeth at the upper or lower jaw by providing a same-day permanent screw-on replacement .

- Implant Supported Dentures

It refers to a denture that is anchored and supported by four or more implants. This type of denture is not placed onto the gums but on the implants that are inserted in the jaw bone. Proper maintenance may only be performed by your dentist which includes examination, cleaning, and fixing if needed.

- Bone Grafting

Dental implant surgery and its success rate is dependent on the strength of the patient’s jaw bone. There must be enough bone on site in order to fully support the implants.

A bone graft procedure may be necessary if there is a significant bone loss at the location where there is a tooth gap. It is essential to properly restore facial contour as well.

- So what exactly does bone grafting mean?

There are several ways to do bone grafting. However, bone grafting for dental implant surgery may be as simple as sourcing a piece of bone from one site to fill bone loss on another where there is tooth loss.

Grafting bone from the patient gets the best results. Sometimes, other sources include animal bones to make it less gruesome on the patient but still safe and effective.

Sometimes, dentists would opt to use artificial materials to encourage the formation of the jaw bone. Blood components may be used at the graft area to encourage a faster formation of the bone in areas where grafting proceeded. It is highly recommended to read more about bone grafting.

- How is a specialist Prosthodontist different to a dentist?

Dentists have trained and certification in most dental procedures but Prosthodontists have special in depth dentistry training specifically on dental implants. There are qualifications for postgraduates in the study of Prosthodontics.

In order for a dentist to be able to specialize in Prosthodontics, it is essential for them to apply for the course. It is required to complete at least two years of general dental practice and meet other registration needs as a dentist.

They will need to register at the Dental Board of Australia as a specialist in their field after completing all of three years of study in dentistry.

One thing to also keep in mind that, as stated by the AHPRA, which is the dental industry regulatory board, there is no title called “dental implant specialist” in all of Australia.