Today’s generation loses teeth at an early age and the loss is due to various types of dental and oral diseases, unhealthy food habits, unexpected accidents and/or several other reasons. People of all ages can undergo implant surgery if they have healthy jawbones and a dental implant is the ultimate solution for regaining lost teeth. In fact this technique ensures that you get natural looking teeth.

So, what does the process entail? In this procedure, the dentist places a titanium screw in the empty jaw space to hold the tooth structure. Dental implants are on the rise in India because of their benefits and high success rates. Individuals losing teeth at a young age find dental implants very good options. However, the high cost of implant surgery is still a limiting factor.

the attraction of implants
As mentioned before, dental implants are the perfect substitute for natural teeth even if they are artificial. Today, people are accepting tooth implants both for aesthetic reasons as well as for normal functions like eating, speaking and of course, smiling.
For dentally crippled people this technique comes as a boon as an integrated dental implant-supported tooth lasts for 20 to 25 years. The chewing efficiency of a dental implant-supported tooth is as good as your natural tooth, that’s why implants are called “Man-made third set of teeth”.
There are many advantages of dental implants as compared to other alternative tooth replacement methods. First, they are very reliable. Second, they can be done easily on people of different age groups. Third, the success rate is highly predictable; fourth, the teeth look and function like natural teeth. Fifth, a dental implant replaces a single tooth without sacrificing the health of neighbouring teeth. And last but not least — the entire process can be completed in a day.
However, all things come with certain risks attached and dental implants are no different.

the Risks involved
Implants can fail in certain cases, the reason being that the failure or success of a dental implant depends on multiple reasons like the place of implant, the operator’s skill, the medical condition of the patient etc. The good news is that the failure rate is small and even then, failed implants can be replaced with second implants.

The right age
An individual of any age can undergo a dental implant if he or she has enough bone in his/her jaws to place the implant. People of a very young age i.e. less than 16 years should not go for dental implants as they should wait till their jaws are fully formed.
Dental implants are costlier than other dental procedures. The cost involves the price of the surgical procedure for implantation, cost of the tooth crown and the number of titanium screws inserted in the jaw bone.
The estimated cost for one implant would be between `25,000 to `45,000 depending on the type of dental implant or expert surgeon and the clinic you visit.

maintaining the implant
Monitoring is very essential as this ensures the longevity of the implanted teeth. Bacterial or plaque accumulation on teeth and gums can create problems for implanted teeth. This plaque bacterium can lead to periodontal disease which will eventually weaken the gum area and cause your implants to come loose and in extreme cases fall out. So, it is advised to brush and rinse the mouth from time to time to avoid bacterial accumulation. It is imperative that one maintains a periodic, professional schedule pertaining to the cleaning of the implant.

The writer is Senior Consultant Dental Surgeon, Prosthodontist and Oral Implantologist at Max Healthcare, New Delhi