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What are dentals implants?

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that a periodontist places into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Dental implants are an ideal option for people in good general oral health who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury, or some other reason.

While high-tech in nature, dental implants are actually more tooth-saving than traditional bridgework, since implants do not rely on neighboring teeth for support.

What Dental Implants Can Do?

• Replace one or more teeth without affecting bordering teeth.
• Support a bridge and eliminate the need for a removable partial denture.
• Provide support for a denture, making it more secure and comfortable.

Advantages of Dental Implants Over Dentures or a Bridge

Every way you look at it, dental implants are a better solution to the problem of missing teeth.

• Esthetic   Dental implants look and feel like your own teeth! Since dental implants integrate into the structure of your bone, they prevent the bone loss and gum recession that often accompany bridgework and dentures. No one will ever know that you have a replacement tooth.
• Tooth-saving   Dental implants don't sacrifice the quality of your adjacent teeth like a bridge does because neighboring teeth are not altered to support the implant. More of your own teeth are left untouched, a significant long-term benefit to your oral health!
  
• Confidence   Dental implants will allow you to once again speak and eat with comfort and confidence! They are secure and offer freedom from the irksome clicks and wobbles of dentures. They'll allow you to say goodbye to worries about misplaced dentures and messy pastes and glues.
  
• Reliable   The success rate of dental implants is highly predictable. They are considered an excellent option for tooth replacement.

Dental implants are so natural-looking and feeling, you may forget you ever lost a tooth.You know that your confidence about your teeth affects how you feel about yourself, both personally and professionally. Perhaps you hide your smile because of spaces from missing teeth. Maybe your dentures don't feel secure. Perhaps you have difficulty chewing. If you are missing one or more teeth and would like to smile, speak and eat again with comfort and confidence, there is good news! Dental implants are teeth that can look and feel just like your own! Under proper conditions, such as placement by a periodontist and diligent patient maintenance, implants can last a lifetime. Long-term studies continue to show improving success rates for implants. Dr. Jose Nart is a US trained specialist in dental implants in Barcelona.

Are You a Candidate for Dental Implants?

The ideal candidate for a dental implant is in good general and oral health. Adequate bone in your jaw is needed to support the implant, and the best candidates have healthy gum tissues that are free of periodontal disease.
Dental implants are intimately connected with the gum tissues and underlying bone in the mouth. Since periodontists are the dental experts who specialize in precisely these areas, they are ideal members of your dental implant team. Not only do periodontists have experience working with other dental professionals, they also have the special knowledge, training and facilities that you need to have teeth that look and feel just like your own. Your dentist and periodontist will work together to make your dreams come true.

What is Treatment Like?

This procedure is a team effort between you, your dentist and your periodontist. Your periodontist and dentist will consult with you to determine where and how your implant should be placed. Depending on your specific condition and the type of implant chosen, your periodontist will create a treatment plan tailored to meet your needs. Click for more information about the treatment options described below.

Replacing a Single Tooth

If you are missing a single tooth, one implant and a crown can replace it. A dental implant replaces both the lost natural tooth and its root. What are the advantages of a single-tooth implant over a bridge?

A dental implant provides several advantages over other tooth replacement options. In addition to looking and functioning like a natural tooth, a dental implant replaces a single tooth without sacrificing the health of neighboring teeth. The other common treatment for the loss of a single tooth, a tooth-supported fixed bridge, requires that adjacent teeth be ground down to support the cemented bridge.

Because a dental implant will replace your tooth root, the bone is better preserved. With a bridge, some of the bone that previously surrounded the tooth begins to resorb (deteriorate). Dental implants integrate with your jawbone, helping to keep the bone healthy and intact.

In the long term, a single implant can be more esthetic and easier to keep clean than a bridge. Gums can recede around a bridge, leaving a visible defect when the metal base or collar of the bridge becomes exposed. Resorbed bone beneath the bridge can lead to an unattractive smile. And, the cement holding the bridge in place can wash out, allowing bacteria to decay the teeth that anchor the bridge.

How will the implant be placed?

First, the implant, which looks like a screw or cylinder, is placed into your jaw. Over the next two to six months, the implant and the bone are allowed to bond together to form an anchor for your artificial tooth. During this time, a temporary tooth replacement option can be worn over the implant site.

Photo of extension attached to implantOften, a second step of the procedure is necessary to uncover the implant and attach an extension. This small metal post, called an abutment, completes the foundation on which your new tooth will be placed. Your gums will be allowed to heal for a couple of weeks following this procedure.

There are some implant systems (one-stage) that do not require this second step. These systems use an implant which already has the extension piece attached. Your periodontist will advise you on which system is best for you.

Photo of Finally, a replacement tooth called a crown will be created for you by your dentist and attached to the abutment. After a short time, you will experience restored confidence in your smile and your ability to chew and speak. Dental implants are so natural-looking and feeling, you may forget you ever lost a tooth.

Replacing All of Your Teeth

If you are missing all of your teeth, an implant-supported full bridge or full denture can replace them. Dental implants will replace both your lost natural teeth and some of the roots.
What are the advantages of implant-supported full bridges and implant-supported dentures over conventional dentures?
Dental implants provide several advantages over other teeth replacement options. In addition to looking and functioning like natural teeth, implant-supported full bridges or dentures are designed to be long lasting. Implant-supported full bridges and dentures also are more comfortable and stable than conventional dentures, allowing you to retain a more natural biting and chewing capacity.

In addition, because implant-supported full bridges and dentures will replace some of your tooth roots, your bone is better preserved. With conventional dentures, the bone that previously surrounded the tooth roots begins to resorb (deteriorate). Dental implants integrate with your jawbone, helping to keep the bone healthy and intact.

In the long term, implants can be more esthetic and easier to maintain than conventional dentures. The loss of bone that accompanies conventional dentures leads to recession of the jawbone and a collapsed, unattractive smile. Conventional dentures make it difficult to eat certain foods.

Sinus Augmentation

A key to implant success is the quantity and quality of the bone where the implant is to be placed. The upper back jaw has traditionally been one of the most difficult areas to successfully place dental implants due to insufficient bone quantity and quality and the close proximity to the sinus. If you've lost bone in that area due to reasons such as periodontal disease or tooth loss, you may be left without enough bone to place implants.

Sinus augmentation can help correct this problem by raising the sinus floor and developing bone for the placement of dental implants. Several techniques can be used to raise the sinus and allow for new bone to form. In one common technique, an incision is made to expose the bone. Then a small circle is cut into the bone. This bony piece is lifted into the sinus cavity, much like a trap door, and the space underneath is filled with bone graft material. Your periodontist can explain your options for graft materials, which can regenerate lost bone and tissue.

Finally, the incision is closed and healing is allowed to take place. Depending on your individual needs, the bone usually will be allowed to develop for about four to 12 months before implants can be placed. After the implants are placed, an additional healing period is required. In some cases, the implant can be placed at the same time the sinus is augmented.

Sinus augmentation has been shown to greatly increase your chances for successful implants that can last for years to come. Many patients experience minimal discomfort during this procedure.

Ridge Modification

Deformities in the upper or lower jaw can leave you with inadequate bone in which to place dental implants. This defect may have been caused by periodontal disease, wearing dentures, developmental defects, injury or trauma. Not only does this deformity cause problems in placing the implant, it can also cause an unattractive indentation in the jaw line near the missing teeth that may be difficult to clean and maintain.

To correct the problem, the gum is lifted away from the ridge to expose the bony defect. The defect is then filled with bone or bone substitute to build up the ridge. Your periodontist can tell you about your options for graft materials, which can help to regenerate lost bone and tissue.

Finally, the incision is closed and healing is allowed to take place. Depending on your individual needs, the bone usually will be allowed to develop for about four to 12 months before implants can be placed. In some cases, the implant can be placed at the same time the ridge is modified.

Ridge modification has been shown to greatly improve appearance and increase your chances for successful implants that can last for years to come. Ridge modification can enhance your restorative success both esthetically and functionally.

Curriculum JOSE NART

• PhD in Dentistry,
  Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Spain
• Licenciado en Odontología
  Universitat Internacional de Catalunya.
• Certificado en Periodoncia e Implantes dentales.
  Tufts University, Boston, USA.
• Diplomate, American Board of Periodontology.
• Profesor Asociado del Departamento de Periodoncia.
  Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona.
• Invited Professor, Advanced Oral Implantology Master,
  Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM).
• DEA: Diploma de Estudios Avanzados. Suficiencia Investigadora en Odontología.
• Práctica privada en exclusiva en Periodoncia e Implantes dentales.
  Barcelona.
• Autor de publicaciones científicas en revistas nacionales e internacionales.
• Conferenciante en congresos nacionales e internacionales.
• Miembro especialista de la Sociedad Española de Periodoncia y Oseointegración. (SEPA)
• Miembro activo de la Academia Americana de Periodoncia. (AAP)
• Miembro activo de la Sociedad Catalana d’Odonto-estomatologia. (SCOE-ACM)

Published articles

• Use of guided tissue regeneration in the treatment of a lateral periodontal cyst with a 7-month reentry´. J. Nart, E. Gagari, M. Kahn, TJ. Griffin. Journal of Periodontology 2007:78,1360-1364. (pdf)
• Tratamiento de la lesión de clase V, ¿alargamiento o acortamiento de corona?. T. Hempton, D. Drakos, J. Nart, A. Santos. Periodoncia y Osteointegración 2007;17(2).75-84.(pdf)
• Preservación del reborde alveolar. Por qué y cuándo. J. Nart, E. Marcuschamer, J. Rumeu, A. Santos, TJ. Griffin. Periodoncia y Osteointegración 2007;17(4).229-237. (pdf)
• Tratamientos mucogingivales en ortodoncia´. J. Nart, N. Carrió, N. Estela, A. López, S. Travería, A. Santos. Ortodoncia Clínica 2008;11(2):14-31.(pdf)
• Restauración del soporte periodontal., cuándo cómo y por qué´. T. Hempton, J. Nart, V. Likhari, L. Rodríguez, E. Marcuschamer. Maxillaris 2008, junio, 162-180.(pdf)
• Nart J, Sanz Martn I, Cheung W, Griffin TJ. Manejo del tatuaje de amalgama con injerto dérmico acelular, Alloderm. Gaceta Dental, enero 2009.(pdf)
• Nart J, Mazzocco F, Gatti M, Nart M. Injerto de conectivo subepitelial para mejorar la estética de implantes. Maxillaris, march 2009.(pdf)

Memoria cursos y conferencias realizadas 2007-08

• Conferencia en CAP Vallcarca 23/11/07: `Diagnóstico y tratamiento periodontal´.
• Miembro del jurado AIHADEC (Asociació de Higienistes de Catalunya) 24/11/07: entrega del premio anual.
• Conferencia en Servicio de Neumología, Hospital Clínico de Barcelona. 15/01/08: `Periodontitis y Neumonía por aspiración´.
• Conferencia COEC 28/02/08: `Cirugía periodontal pre-protésica´.
• Conferencia Barcelona Orthodontic Meeting (BOM) 08/03/08: `Reconocimiento y tratamiento de los problemas mucogingivales´.
• Conferencia SCOE 14/03/08: `Cubrimiento radicular´.
• Curs teòric-pràctic de Disfagia Oro-faringea, Hospital de Mataró 10/04/08: `Colonització oro-faringea´

News

March 2010

Dr Jose Nart defended succesfully his PhD Thesis last January the 20th and obtained his PhD in Dentistry with the highest degree.

Dr Jose Nart introduced Dr Fabio Vignoletti in his lecture in Barcelona about Inmediate Implant Placement.

Dr Jose Nart has been invited to the `Speakers Development´ event by Straumann which will take place in Paris the 26th and 27th of March. 

January 2010

January 20th 2010, UIC, Barcelona. Doctoral Thesis (PhD): Prospective evaluation of the use of Motorized Ridge Expander in Guided Bone Regeneration for future Implant sites.

January 15th 2010, UIC, Barcelona. Dr Jose Nart will introduce and moderate the conference and live surgery of Dr. Fabio Mazzocco, Padova, Italy.

November 2009

November 12-15th 2009, SEPA, Las Palmas. Dr. Jose Nart, along with Drs Conchita Curull and Leopoldo Mateos, were jury of Clinical Posters and Associate member Posters at the Annual Meeting of the Spanish Society of Periodontology (SEPA) in Las Palmas, Canary Islands.

October 2009

October 14th 2009, UIC, Barcelona. Dr. Jose Nart introduced Dr. Paul Levi Jr. (Past President, American Academy of Periodontology Foundation) in his lectures to Postgraduate Periodontology students.

October 9th 2009, Barcelona. During the Annual Meeting of SEPES (Spanish Society for Prosthetic Dentistry) it was announced that Dr. Jose Nart will be a speaker at the next annual meeting to be held in Santander, Cantabria, on October 10 to12, 2010.

September 2009

September 29th 2009, Madrid. Dr. Jose Nart and other Spanish and Portuguese renowned periodontists join Professors Jan Lindhe and Mariano Sanz, in the 1st Iberian roundtable in Ridge Preservation Techniques.

Dr. José Nart Molina will be attending the 95th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Periodontology in Boston the next 11 to 15 September. On September 11th he will participate in the Tufts Periodontal Alumni Reunion at Tufts University, School of Dental Medicine.

Dr. José Nart Molina has become Visiting Professor of the Official Master in Advanced Implantology at Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM), directed by Drs. Jaime Jiménez y Vicente Jiménez López, for this 2009-2010.

Press release, November 2008

Dr. Jose Nart Molina received the award `Best Clinical Poster´ at the SEPA-joven (Spanish Society of Periodontology) meeting, celebrated in Barcelona last November 14-15th. The poster´s title was `Subepithelial connective tissue graft to enhance implants esthetics´, and the authors were Jose Nart, Fabio Mazzocco, Mario Gatti and Maria Nart. 

Press Release (The American Board of Periodontology)

Jose Nart, D.D.S. of Barcelona, Spain was awarded Diplomate status by the American Board of Periodontology at its recent meeting in Dallas on May 8, 2008. The American Board of Periodontology is recognized by the American Dental Association as the national certifying board for the dental specialty of Periodontics. The Board awards Diplomate status upon those who, after two to three years of postdoctoral advaced specialty training at an accredited institution, succesfully complete a two part examination which consists of a comprehensive written examination and an oral examination.

Dr. Nart received his dental degree in 2001 from Universitat Internacional de Catalunya. He received his advanced certificate in Periodontics in 2007 from Tufts University. Currently, he is in full time private practice in Barcelona and is a part time Associate Professor- Department of Periodontology at Universitat Internacional de Catalunya. Dr. Nart is an active member of the American Academy of Periodontology, Spanish Society of Periodontology and Catalan Society of Dentistry.

Next courses and lectures:

• September 29th, Madrid. Presentation of clinical cases of ridge preservation using Bio-Oss Collagen, Geistlich, in the1st Iberian roundtable in Ridge Preservation Techniques.
• September 30th, UIC, Barcelona. 1st Seminar for students of Postgraduate Aesthetics and Aesthetics On-line 2009-11: Basic periodontal principles and periodontal surgery.
• October 22nd, UEM, Madrid. Diagnosis, Prognosis and Periodontal Treatment Planning.
• October 23rd, AHIADEC, Barcelona. Theoretical & Practical instrumentation in phase I periodontal treatment in live patients.
  
• October 27th, ISIDN, Barcelona. Healing and Bexident Post clinical applications.
• November 26th, UEM, Madrid. Periodontal Surgery, Regeneration and Mucogingival therapy.
• December 16th, UIC, Barcelona. 2nd Seminar for students of Postgraduate Aesthetics and Aesthetics On-line 2009-11: Functional and Aesthetic Crown Lengthening.
• January 20th, UIC, Barcelona. Doctoral Thesis (PhD): Prospective evaluation of the use of Motorized Ridge Expander in Guided Bone Regeneration for future Implant sites.
• January 21st, UEM, Madrid. Materials in bone regeneration and reidge preservation. Implant positioning and distances.

What are the benefits of dental implants?

Improve the Quality of Your Life One of the most important benefits of dental implants is that they greatly improve the
quality of your life.

• Speaking
  When replacing missing teeth with dentures, the teeth can slip and slide around the mouth. The facial muscles become tense in an attempt to hold the teeth in place. This often results in mumbling, slurred speech or clicking noises. Dental implants allow you to speak with confidence in a relaxed and natural tone.
• Conveniance
  Dental implants can eliminate the numerous embarrassing inconveniences of removable partial and full dentures. You will eliminate the use of gooey denture adhesives that must be re-applied throughout the day. You will no longer need to cover your mouth when you laugh or smile, for fear that your teeth will pop out or fall down.
• Eating
  Dental implants restore chewing efficiency comparable to that of natural teeth. Therefore, patients with dental implants can eat a wide range of food items with less difficulty, and experienced less impact on daily life than patients with dentures. In addition, a full upper denture covers the palate of the mouth and reduces the ability to taste foods. With dental implants, you can have the palate removed from your upper denture so you can taste and enjoy your food.
• Improved Appearance
  Since dental implants look, feel and function like natural teeth, you will have a new set of teeth or a new tooth that will greatly improve the cosmetic appearance of your smile.

 

Who is a candidate for dental implants?

In general, anyone missing at least one tooth and healthy enough to undergo routine dental treatment, including tooth extraction, is probably able to undergo dental implant treatment. There are some medical conditions that warrant special consideration before placing dental implants. Certain chronic diseases, heavy smoking or alcohol abuse may contraindicate dental implant treatment. You are never too old to get dental implants.

What is the Dental Implants procedure?

Dental implants are usually completed in two phases:

• Phase #1: dental implant placement, a process generally performed in the office with local anesthesia or light sedation to help make the patient more comfortable. Using precise, gentle surgical techniques, the implants are placed into the jawbone for 3 months while osseointegration (bonding to bone) takes place. This helps ensure a strong, solid foundation for replacement teeth. During this time, temporary bridges or dentures may be used to minimize any cosmetic or chewing inconvenience.
• Phase #2: creating and attaching the new tooth or teeth to the anchored dental implant(s) in your jaw. Dental implants can replace a single tooth, several teeth or complete dentures. Your dentist can recommend the best choice for you.

Recently, an alternative to the two-step method has been developed that allows you to have the dental implant installed in one whole piece in one single session at your dentist. This new method has simplified the dental implant procedure a lot, both for patients and dentists.

The procedure is chosen depends on several factors, such as the patient’s dental health, the number of teeth involved and which teeth are replaced. These factors will also determine the total number of visits to the dentist throughout the dental implant procedure and treatment period.

How long do dental implants last?

The simply answer to the long-term success rate of dental implants are that dental implants can fail, but fortunately very infrequently. Failure rates vary depending on the site in the mouth, whether they are placed into natural or grafted bone and whether the patient smokes. The overall success rates in natural bone is 95%.
As to the longevity of dental implants, honestly at the present time we cannot answer this question. At the moment we can only say that the first patient who had dental implants placed in 1965 still has his original implants in function today.
With that being said, undoubtedly, the best steps to take avoid encountering ailing or failing dental implants are to maintain meticulous oral hygiene, and evaluate the dental implant both clinically and radiographically at frequent recall visits with your dentist.