Alternative to Dental Implants

What is dental implantation When do you need an alternative How can you replace implants For chewing teeth For front teeth With complete edentia Why do you need to restore teeth Which method is better

Patients are looking for an alternative to implantation due to financial or clinical restrictions on the implantation of artificial roots. Removable dentures (clasp, flexible, acrylic) and fixed products made of metal ceramics, all-ceramic, zirconium (dental bridges) can not fully replace implants. Rarely, missing units are replaced by displacing adjacent ones using braces. The preferred option is implantation: it guarantees an aesthetic, long-term and reliable result, with safety for neighboring units and benefits for the jawbone.

When an alternative to dental implants may be needed

Not everyone can get implantation. Contraindications for surgery:

mental pathologies;
immunodeficiency states;
cancer;
decompensated diabetes mellitus;
rheumatism;
problems with blood clotting;
diseases of the central nervous system;
diseases of bone tissue;
inflammatory processes;
severe heart pathologies;
renal failure;
increased sensitivity to antiseptics;
age up to 18 years.

The list of contraindications varies depending on the implantation method. In addition to the restrictions on installing titanium roots, implantation has other disadvantages:

relatively high cost of treatment;
risk of implant rejection;
the likelihood of damage to the maxillary sinuses (with prosthetics in the upper jaw row);
complexity of the operation (the integrity of soft, bone tissue, nerve endings and mucous membranes is damaged - postoperative swelling and pain occur).

Buy a discount coupon

Many dental clinics post their coupons online, and you will need to pay an annual or monthly fee to qualify for discounted services. For example, you pay a set amount per year and receive a two-time examination or dental treatment with a discount on certain types of services. The discount can vary from 10 to 60% of the total cost of the service provided. This can be quite beneficial, and if you purchase a membership to a small community of dentists, you can save even more.

What can replace dental implantation?

Removable dentures

If the patient does not have money for implants, they make do with removable dentures, which can be inserted and removed from the mouth without the help of a dentist. The type of structure being installed determines the number of lost units:

there are not several units in a row - partial structures are needed;
If you need to replace your teeth, a full removable structure will help out.

The design of the removable product is made of plastic pink gums and artificial teeth. The structure includes a metal frame, hooks, and locks. If a complete denture is fixed, due to the gingival base, the product adheres to the mucous membrane (for reliability, patients use fixing creams and gels). The partial denture rests on healthy units with the help of hooks and clasps.

There are types of dentures:

Bugelnye. The structures are used to restore several elements. They have a metal arc or clasp. The product is durable and can be fixed even on moving teeth. The service life of the structure is 7 years or more. Among the disadvantages, they note: low aesthetic value (fastenings are noticeable), relatively high price of prostheses. Condition for prosthetics: the presence of at least 2 supporting teeth in each row.
Flexible. Dentures are made from soft hypoallergenic plastics - they are lightweight, comfortable to wear, and fit well to the gums. Partial flexible structures are supplemented with fastenings - plastic hooks. Products last 5-7 years or more. Among the disadvantages, they note: the impossibility of repairing or adjusting the prosthesis in the dentist’s chair (the product is repositioned by a dental technician). When wearing a soft structure, the atrophic process in the bone progresses faster (compared to a hard one).
Acrylic. Plate structures are made of hard plastics - they are not comfortable to wear. The chewing load will be distributed on the gums, and not on the supporting units. Plus - low cost. Of the minuses, they note: the length of the period of adaptation, methyl ester of methacrylic acid in the composition of acrylic (irritates the mucous membranes).

Fixed dentures

Fixed structures are fixed in the oral cavity - the patient cannot remove them without the help of a dentist. The prosthesis has the form of a single dental crown or complex (dental bridge), which is “put on” the supporting teeth.

Bridge-like products rest on healthy neighboring elements (they are pre-ground). A locking dental bridge in the form of a single crown has a latch inside (the other two are on adjacent teeth). The adhesive structure is fixed to the supporting units, not covering them, but joining the tooth wall (preparation is excluded).

Fixed dentures have the following advantages:

instantly restore the aesthetics and functionality of the dentition;
biocompatible, hypoallergenic;
do not rub the mucous membrane, do not create the sensation of a “foreign body” in the mouth;
wear-resistant.

The disadvantages of fixed prosthetics include the high price and the need for support in the form of healthy teeth. In the absence of a large number of units, this support can only be implants.

Depending on the material, non-removable products are classified into:

All-ceramic. The dentures are made of pressed ceramics; they are durable and resistant to chips, scratches and discoloration. The products are successfully used in the restoration of the frontal row.
Metal-ceramic. One-piece construction consisting of a metal base and a coating in the form of aesthetic porcelain. Durable products can withstand significant loads. An allergic reaction to the metal is possible. Suitable for restoring chewing teeth.
Zirconium. The basis of the design is zirconium dioxide, the coating is a layer of dental ceramics of a selected tone (similar to enamel). The prosthesis is durable, fits tightly to the supports, CAD/CAM technology guarantees the accuracy of the restoration. The disadvantage of zirconium prostheses is their high cost.

Recover adjacent teeth with braces

An alternative to implants and a bridge to replace the lateral teeth is to move adjacent units to replace the removed ones. The duration of therapy depends on the number of missing teeth and the time the patient walked without them. Treatment can last up to four years.

Before therapy, a thorough diagnosis is carried out and probable changes in the bite are predicted. Possible complications of therapy include resorption of bone tissue and exposure of tooth roots.

When there are very few or no teeth

If certain conditions exist, dental prosthetics during implantation are performed using “consoles”. This is a suspended structure with support on only one side. This option, by the way, is absolutely unacceptable when installing a bridge on “natural” teeth.

In some situations, a cantilever bridge is the way out. But the presence of such an opportunity does not mean that if you have a complete absence of teeth, you will have single implants placed on the edges of your jaw and a common “horseshoe” bridge for 14 teeth will be fixed on them.

For a “bare” jaw, there is a minimum number of supports - 6. Even better - 8 or 10. With a sufficient number of implants, the bridge will be easier to care for and will last longer. An important point: if the jaw is completely devoid of teeth, it is better to split the bridge into two or three parts supported by 8-10 implants.

This option is the optimal one, but for many patients, prosthetics with complete absence of teeth, unfortunately, is still unacceptable due to cost. However, even in this case, dental implantation will help avoid the fate of wearing traditional dentures with suction cups.

Prosthesis on a minimum number of implants

If, due to financial difficulties, it is not possible to implant at least 6 titanium “roots” into the jaw, the doctor will place 4 and strengthen them with a metal beam. The denture will be better fixed on such a support, and you will not “lose” it even during active chewing. An additional advantage is the ability to make the base less massive. This will free up space in the mouth for the tongue or in the palate, and using the prosthesis will become much more comfortable.

And a very budget option, available to almost everyone, is the installation of two implants with special abutments. The prosthesis with locks is fixed on these supports. Thus, in this case too, with the help of dental implantation, prosthetics are made more acceptable for the patient. It will become more convenient for him to chew and speak, and he will not have to constantly catch his “teeth.” The described methods are relatively inexpensive and significantly increase the comfort of using a prosthesis, so they are suitable for older people.

What is an alternative to implants for chewing teeth?

The chewing elements are more loaded than the anterior ones. The anatomy and localization of the units makes it difficult to care for the elements - the risk of developing dental diseases in the area of chewing teeth is high, the elements are susceptible to destruction.

If one or more teeth are missing in the chewing area, a dental bridge is placed, provided that there is something to attach it to - the adjacent units (including damaged ones) are pre-ground.

Among removable products, the use of a clasp design is justified - a durable option that does not bend under load. The product is secured with hooks or clasps.

Visit a small town

Most of us are sure that the most professional services can only be obtained in big cities, but this is far from the truth. Moreover, dentists practicing in large population centers have high overhead costs, so they inflate the price tag for their services.

You can get just as good service if you travel an hour and a half to two hours to the nearest town. Provincial dentists also have enough experience and education to work in their field, and their services are much cheaper. It is worth noting that in rural areas the problem of shortage of medical personnel is especially pressing, so it is better to go to small but established cities.

Why prices are rising and why carrots are grown in insufficient quantities

A motorcycle school can become a profitable business: what you need to know to start it

Note to the manager: ways to effectively motivate employees at work

How to replace implants on front teeth

The frontal elements are not involved in chewing food, but high aesthetic demands are placed on them. As an alternative to implantation, a dental bridge is suitable for restoring teeth in the front row.

Metal-ceramic structures are not used in the smile area: the metal base darkens in the light; upon contact with metal, the mucous membrane may darken. Solid ceramics is a durable material, characterized by natural translucency, and looks like “your own” tooth. The most accurate, aesthetic and durable option is a zirconium dioxide prosthesis.

Cash assistance for dental surgery

3. Good day everyone! To my future sponsor - especially kind! Compared to other people's tragic stories, mine is probably funny. My friends tell me that I have forgotten how to laugh. But I haven’t forgotten how! I am an optimist, I was and am. But one day, laughing heartily, I saw the frightened face of my interlocutor: I had 4 front teeth removed.

I remembered his eyes and since then I have walked with a lean face, but this is not my face! The dentist counted me 30 thousand rubles, but my pension is only 10. There is no one to help, there is nothing to give. I promise to send my savior a before and after photo of my smile. And I will pray for him so that he never needs anything and doesn’t have to ask for money!

This is the first and, I hope, the last time I write to such a site. A crazy thought just came into my head - to ask heaven for money. And God always has someone who will respond. I believe. I’ll write all the details by email, but this is mine

4. An urgent need for financial assistance for dental surgery. I have been struggling with my teeth for about 20 years now. After the birth of my child, I began to lose my teeth; all the treatment that I received over the years was in vain. It was a waste of money; the bridges fell out within a year and a half at most, along with the teeth.

Now, what I could afford are removable dentures. I have been wearing them for about 4 months and have been enduring hellish pain all this time. It’s impossible to eat, my gums are rubbing until they bleed, the only salvation in my situation is implantation. We need to collect about 500 thousand rubles. I tearfully ask for help, because it is unbearable to live like this anymore. They don’t give me a loan, I have a small salary and rented housing. My Sberbank card number is 4279 3800 2322 3276.

Which method is better to choose?

Implantation is a privileged way to restore lost elements in the absence of financial and clinical restrictions. Advantages of the method:

Implants are durable. When installing a dental bridge, a replacement will be required after 5-7 years. The service life of implants is at least 25 years .
Adjacent elements remain untouched. Implants do not require support. When installing a dental bridge, the supporting units are pre-ground, which leads to their destruction.
Stopping bone atrophy. Implantation guarantees an even chewing load on the jawbone - the bone is not destroyed.
Preservation of taste sensations. Removable structures dull the sense of taste due to the massive base blocking the receptors.
Reliable fixation of prostheses and installation of various options for orthopedic structures.

Author of the article Voznyuk Vladimir Aleksandrovich Maxillofacial surgeon-implantologist of the highest category

Experience more than 30 years

Dental clinic of Professor A.I. Doinikov

Often, a patient comes to the clinic and at the beginning of the consultation says: “You, doctor, just don’t be alarmed, I just really neglected everything in the oral cavity. Now I have a completely ugly smile and it’s uncomfortable to eat.”

Indeed, you often see a sad picture with many teeth completely destroyed down to the gums, large carious cavities and a lot of tartar.

You ask: “Why don’t you take care of yourself? We need to treat!”, and in response - “I don’t even know where to start... Probably, I just need to remove everything and insert prostheses, but, most likely, the treatment will be very expensive and I won’t be able to afford it.”

Let me note right away that there is no need to despair. Of course, you can’t do everything at once and quickly. The destruction process was long and the problem itself did not arise out of nowhere. Serious treatment and prosthetics undoubtedly require significant financial costs, but the treatment can be divided into several stages so that the financial issue is not so acute.

Let's draw up an approximate action plan on how to solve your problem.

The goal of treatment is, at the first stage, to reduce microbial contamination of the oral cavity, or, in layman’s terms, to remove the infection, and at the second stage, to restore chewing function and the aesthetics of the smile.

Treatment should begin, first of all, with those teeth that are currently causing you pain. It is necessary to prevent further development of the acute infectious inflammatory process.

After the initial “firefighting”, the approach to treatment should become planned and systematic.

First of all you should... change your toothbrush and learn how to brush your teeth properly again.

Yes, most people think that they brush their teeth quite normally, but their teeth are destroyed solely due to bad heredity, bad water, the environment in general, etc. This is wrong. This is where the treatment process begins - with training in proper hygienic oral care.

I recommend using a toothbrush with soft bristles and regular toothpaste (not whitening).

Look at the length of the working part of the toothbrush and estimate how many times this length can be measured along the dentition. So, on each section of the dentition, the length corresponding to the length of the bristles of the toothbrush, it is necessary to make 10 sweeping movements on the buccal and lingual sides of the tooth. The movements should be directed, figuratively speaking, from “red” to “white” - in the direction from the gums to the top of the crown of the tooth.

Remember - you are not just brushing your teeth - when brushing your teeth you are saving your own money! Think of it this way: if you brush your teeth, you put 100 rubles in your pocket! Few? Consider that you put in 500! And so on...

After you remember how to brush your teeth, you can begin further work on dental treatment and prosthetics.

And we start... again to hygiene! Now it's professional!

It is necessary for a dentist or hygienist to carry out professional oral hygiene for you - remove tartar with an ultrasonic instrument and clean your teeth with brushes and prophylactic paste.

An X-ray examination of all teeth should then be performed. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is best suited for these purposes, and less commonly, orthopantomogram (OPTG).

According to a visual examination of the oral cavity and x-ray examination, teeth should be classified into the following groups: 1) clearly hopeless teeth - subject to inevitable removal, 2) conditionally preserved - which can be tried to be preserved, but the prognosis is questionable, 3) requiring treatment, but definitely preserved 4) healthy teeth

After this the work becomes easier.

You should start by removing obviously hopeless teeth.

Patients are always tempted to “heal” their front teeth first to restore their smile, and leave everything else to the second stage.

What to say? We must fight this temptation and carry out complete treatment.

Removing clearly hopeless teeth as the first stage provides 2 advantages at once. Firstly, while you are treating teeth from the other groups listed above, your gums and jaw bone tissue will slowly heal, which is important for subsequent prosthetics or implantation. Secondly, after this it is already possible to pre-plan the type of future orthopedic structure.

At the next stage, we take a closer look at the teeth from the conditionally preserved group.

We are trying to treat. If the treatment is successful, great; if not, we remove it without regret. It is better to be a little more radical at this stage than to subsequently have problems with questionable teeth already involved in the prosthesis.

Next, we relatively calmly treat less damaged teeth from the group that require treatment, but are definitely preserved.

After this, the oral cavity becomes, as dentists say, “sanitized” - that is, healthier. Microbial contamination of the cavity is reduced.

Now you can think about the final type of prosthetics, we agree on the future orthopedic design (prosthesis) and proceed to the prosthetics stage.

Author : Surkin Alexander Yuryevich, candidate of medical sciences, dental surgeon, orthopedic dentist. Dental clinic of Professor A.I. Doinikov, 2022

Is it expensive to get teeth inserted?

Unfortunately, if you expect to receive the services of an orthopedic dentist under your insurance policy, then you will not be able to do this. Of course, if you belong to preferential categories of citizens, then you can use such medical care for free or receive substantial compensation. In other cases, you can only count on a tax deduction. Therefore, there is no big difference whether you go to a private or public dental clinic. Sometimes even commercial medical institutions hold promotions that will make prosthetics cheaper for you.

Choosing where to get treatment

You can choose a dental clinic based on price level, but you just need to make sure that they can help you there. Sometimes it happens that someone’s teeth were inserted poorly, after which complications arose or the result turned out to be unaesthetic. Typically, such patients leave unflattering reviews about a medical institution or a specific doctor. They also write where they went next, and where they managed to fix everything. However, you should not completely rely on these reviews. After all, if a person writes and does not know what kind of doctor he is who inserts teeth, what his specialty is called, then is it worth trusting such assessments? Anyone who actually underwent treatment knows for sure that he consulted an orthopedist or orthodontist, that the prosthesis was made by a dental technician - and this is a different specialist, and that the preparatory work was done by a dental therapist. In small clinics, a doctor can combine the work of an orthopedist and a therapist, but never also act as a dental technician!

So it’s always better to rely on the choice of your friends rather than on the opinion of a stranger who left a review on the site. Such a person could be hired by competitors to ruin the reputation of the dental clinic.

I have a very serious problem with my teeth

5. I am 48 years old, my name is Natalya. I work and rent my own place. I have a very serious problem with my teeth. There is simply no hope for free prosthetics, just as there is no money for paid restoration. It's just unrealistic for me. After paying for housing, 6000 remains for living expenses. I go to work and spend 1200 rubles on transport. per month. That leaves 4500 - 4800. I can’t even afford to live, I’m just surviving. Maybe someone who has the opportunity can help me. Sberbank card: 5464700013071376.

6. Hello, I am a single mother of two children, the youngest baby is 2 months old, social benefits for children are 7 thousand rubles per month, there is no additional income. During pregnancy, my teeth crumbled, a piece broke off from my front tooth, which looks very unaesthetic.

I am suffering from pain, after taking an x-ray (attached photo), the prosthetist advised that it is necessary to install bridges worth more than 100,000 rubles, plus treatment. There is no way I can solve this problem on my own. I ask you for help. Sberbank card number 639002529062700290.