Types of Dental Implants

Subperiosteal Dental Implants

Subperiosteal dental implants are still placed under the gums but lie on top of the jawbone. Even though endosteal implants are more common, subperiosteal implants are a type of dental implant for people who have a weak jawbone.

Which Type of Dental Implant is Right for You?

Determining which type of dental implant is right for you depends on your unique case. Typically, we recommend endosteal implants for most of our patients. However, we make sure they have a healthy jawbone first.

Endosteal implants tend to take more time, mostly due to healing and recovery.

However, thanks to advancements in techniques for dental implants we are able to cut down on a lot of that time. With digital smile design and robotic assistance, we are able to plan out your smile more accurately, which makes the placement process go faster. Techniques for dental implants like same-day dental implants make it possible for you to have a full set of teeth while your jaw bone fuses to the implant.

All of this new technology makes endosteal implants an even better option than they already were.

Subperiosteal implants are usually only recommended for patients who are not a good candidate for endosteal implants. For example, this type of dental implant is the way to go if you have a weak jaw bone.

Techniques for Dental Implants

There are also different techniques for dental implants. Again the one your oral surgeon uses depends on your needs.

Teeth in a Day

Same-day dental implants are a type of dental implant procedure. Both the implants and temporary replacement teeth are inserted in just one day. We first place one or more titanium screws in the jaw bone. Then, we top the implants off with abutment pieces (small posts that act as anchors holding the artificial teeth in place) and the replacement teeth.

We call this process “immediate loading” because each part is “loaded”, or placed, “immediately” after the other. Same-day implants can save you from months of insecurity while waiting for your permanent teeth. With the temporary ones in place, you won’t have to worry about continuing to see and feel that gap in your mouth while you heal.

Same-day implants are a great option for many people but are not necessarily essential for every patient. While there are certain cases that require a patient to receive a new tooth as soon as possible to avoid health problems like super eruption, they are generally more of a convenient option for those who would like a “quick fix.”

And the good news is that the quick fix doesn’t come with a catch; your replacement teeth will not look any less natural, the procedure won’t cause any additional issues or risks, and the implants themselves will not be any less durable. Your same-day implants will provide the same benefits as traditional ones, plus some.

Single Implants

Using a crown, a single prosthesis replaces one or a few missing teeth, and each artificial tooth is attached to a separate, individual implant. This technique for dental implants can be used for an entire row of teeth, but using single implants to replace a whole row requires more surgery–costing you more time and money. If you need more than one implant in a row, it’s best to consider other options. 

Partial Implants

Using a fixed bridge (several crowns bonded together), a partial prosthesis replaces two or more missing teeth with just two or three implants–typically with a gap in between, to make way for the extra tooth or teeth on the bridge. This is not to be confused with the traditional dental bridge, which attaches to surrounding natural tooth roots rather than artificial implants. A partial prosthesis can also include partial dentures, which essentially connect two bridges at different locations on the jaw with a metal connector–supported by implants.

Complete Prosthesis

Using a fixed bridge, a complete prosthesis replaces all of the teeth on the upper and/or lower jaw. There are two different types of complete prostheses–removable and fixed. A removable prosthesis, also called an Overdenture, attaches to several implant abutments (the connections between each implant to a crown/bridge/denture) and can be snapped in and out by the patient. A fixed prosthesis, or permanent denture, also attaches to several abutments but is removable only by a dentist. When receiving complete prostheses on both the maxillary (top) and mandibular (bottom) jawbone, there are several attachment methods considered by our team:

• All-on-4, which means that 2 implants go on top, while the other 2 go on the bottom
• All-on-6, or 3-on-6 (3 implants on top, 3 implants on bottom)
• All-on-8 (the least common of the three, and typically 4 implants on top, 4 implants on bottom)

These methods determine how sturdy an implant is; the more implants, the more sturdy. However, the situation at hand determines whether more or less are needed.