Implant supported dentures are made to be a complete restoration of the functionality and aesthetics of your teeth for those who have suffered complete tooth loss. The implant is a type of tooth replacement (either due to extraction or fracture) that has been growing a lot. This is mainly due to the fact that the cost of the implant is becoming increasingly accessible to a large part of the population. In this process, the pin (base of the prosthesis) is fixed and then the prosthesis itself (the tooth or the complete set of dentures). A fact that many people are unaware of is that if the pin fixes properly in the bone when it is placed, the prosthesis can possibly be placed on the same day. That is, you don't have to wait 6 months to fix the implant and then add the dentures.
Durability of the dental implant in steps
First of all, you need to understand the steps of an implant procedure and what is the durability of each one of them, that is, after the procedure is performed, how long each step of this will last in your mouth.
Step 1: Bone Graft – Duration can be for life
In some cases, bone graft implantation will be necessary, when the patient does not have the necessary amount of bone for adequate fixation of the pin that will support the prosthesis. The graft can be for life, as long as after the graft you place the implant in the right time. You will graft only once for each implanted tooth (if necessary).
Step 2: Fixation Pin – Duration for life
The pin is nothing more than the fixation of the base to receive the prosthesis later (the tooth). Making a parallel to be even clearer, the pin works as a kind of root of the tooth, but artificial. His durability is also for life.
Step 3: Prosthesis (The tooth itself)
Unlike the other two items, the prosthesis is NOT for life. In the same way that a natural tooth (here I am referring to the teeth that we all bring when we are born) wears out, the implanted tooth is the same thing, but with a big difference: its durability and absence of sensitivity. The duration of a prosthesis can take up to 15 years! Now if the patient undergoes a general implant in the mouth (if it is the entire mouth), the dental community recommends replacing the prosthesis every 5 years.
Regarding sensitivity, many patients have implants not because of the absence or fracture of teeth, but rather because of a high degree of sensitivity when ingesting mainly cold drinks (I will talk more deeply about sensitivity in another post).
In summary:
If you are a patient who needs to do the 3 phases of an implant, know that the graft and the post will be for life. While the prosthesis, you will need to change every 15 or 5 years (it will depend on the number of implanted teeth).