Dental Implants

 

Dental Implants in Mexico

Dental implants are today's best option for replacing missing teeth. They are significantly more durable than bridges or dentures, and offer the only truly permanent replacement for missing teeth. Advances in the science of dental implants make today's restorations indisguishable from your natural teeth and offer success rates near 100%. At American Dental Tours, we fully embrace these modern implant placement techniques. Unlike other Tijuana dental clinics, our general dentists do not install implants, only our implantoligst performs this sensitive procedure. Our implantologist is an M.D. with two years of additional training in the United States. Also, as part of our commitment to lasting implants, we do not offer "same-day" implants, which are notoriously unreliable and often fail within months. Beware of clinics offering "immediate load" implants, and clinics where general dentists claim to be skilled implantologists.

The process begins with a comprehensive oral examination. Your doctor must be sure that your jawbone is in the proper condition to receive a dental implant. Dental implants require high density in the jawbone for the implant to anchor itself securely to the mandible. Typically, we see low bone density in patients who recently had a tooth extracted from the site of the propsed implant, and often in elderly patients who are experiencing decreased bone growth. If you don't have the required density, you will need to begin with a bone graft. During this procedure, a calcium-based material will be injected into the site of the future implant to spur increased bone growth. This is a relatively simple procedure with a nearly 100% success rate. After the bone graft, you will need to wait approximately 1-2 months before continuing with the dental implant.

Next, a small pilot hole is drilled into the site of the implant. It is then slowly widened with a special tool to prepare for the placement of the actual implant screw. After the implant has been screwed into place, it must be allowed to heal for a period of between 1-4 months. This process is called osteointegration. The implant is coated with the same minerals that cover natural teeth, and are therefore recognized and accepted by your body. Your jawbone will, overtime, create an extraordinally strong bond with the implant as if it were your own natural tooth. This is what makes today's dental implants so strong, and so remarkable from a medical point of view.

After the implant has completely fused to your jawbone, an abutement is attached to the implant screw. This is a metal anchor that protrudes above the gums and will eventually hold the final crown. A mold will then be taken of your entire mouth and a temporary crown will be installed. This temporary crown acts as a place-holder while your gums grow it and your final, permanent crown is being fabricated.

Finally, the permanent crown is cemented into place. This restoration will look, feel, and function just like a natural tooth, if not better. Today's dental implants are astondingly strong. With proper care, a dental implant will last for the rest of your life.

What to expect during and after your dental implant surgery

Dental implant surgery is completely painless. Many of our patients actually report experiencing less discomfort than when have a filling placed. In the days following the placement of your implant, there may be some minor swelling of the gums surrounding the implant site, but nothing that an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication can't remedy. For the first week or so after the surgery, you should limit yourself to a diet of soft foods. After your self-dissolving stiches have disappeared, you can slowly begin eating solid foods again. At this stage, it is vital that you maintain exceptionally good oral hygienge. Failure to reguarly brush and floss can lead to infections at the implant site which can cause the implant to fail. Smoking is also a major cause of failed implants, and it strongly recommended that you quit smoking before beginning the implant process.

Dental implants are a two part process, at minimum. First, the dental implant must be placed, then the abutement and crown must be placed over it. Typically, these two steps must be spaced 2-3 months apart. For dental tourists, this means making two trips to Mexico, there is no way around this. The abutement and crown placement can be combined into one trip, as these only need to be spaced out a day or two while the crown is being frabricated. For southern California residents, the 2-3 month waiting period is not a problem, as you are only a short drive away from the dental clinic in Tijuana. For out of state patients, this means you have to book two flights. Fortuntaely, the cost of domestic flights are low enough that your savings will still be drastic compared to what it would cost to have the implants placed in the United States. Even compared to the cost of multiple international flights to the offices of other Mexican dentists in more southern cities such as Cancun or Mazaltan, your savings will still be considerable. Again, we strongly advise against immediate-load implants which are done in one step. These cheap fixes may seem like they'll save you time and money, but in the long-term they are much more likely to fail, and the cost of replacement and additional trips will make you wish you had not chosen same-day implants.