What are dental implants?
Dental implant surgery is a procedure that replaces tooth roots with metal, screw-like posts to replace damaged or missing teeth with artificial teeth that look and function much like real ones.
For decades, patients of all ages have chosen dental implants to replace a single tooth or several teeth.
The success of dental implants will depend on how well the titanium implants fuse to the jawbone. According to several studies, the success rate of dental implants is 98% so if you have one or more missing teeth and are willing to commit several months to the process, you could be a candidate for dental implants.
The implant process
The implant process is a process that takes several months and it can be divided into a three-part process.
Placement of the implant: The dentist will surgically place the implant in the jaw. Patients have to wait around 3four to six months for the implant to osseointegrate to the bone.
Placement of the abutment: The dentist uncovers the implant and places the abutment or post that will serve as the extension between the implant and the crown.
Placement of the crown: The dentist makes the crown that goes over the implant. The crown is fitted for shape, size, and color to matched the adjacent teeth. Once the fit is match the dentist cements the crown to the post screwed to the implant.
Since dental implants require one or more surgical procedures the evaluation process must be thorough. As part of the evaluation, dentists will be taking several x-rays from 3D images, panoramic x-rays to periapical x-rays, review the patients' medical history records, and a thorough medical exam to develop a treatment plan tailored to the patients' situation.
Major Dental Implants Manufactures
The current dental implant market is controlled by five major manufacturers who hold more than 50%. In no particular order, the five main manufacturers are:
Straumann
Danaher Nobel Biocare
Dentsply Sirona (Formerly Astra Tech)
Zimmer Biomet (Zimmer & Biomet 3i)
BioHorizons
Other brands to consider:
Osstem/Hiossen
Schutz Dental
Implant Direct
Like in most countries, in Costa Rica you can find most of the manufactures listed above in most cases most of the implants have a similar price, except the Straumann implants; which will represent a higher price tag as it is harder to get and parts are limited in the Costa Rican market.
That being said the rest of the Implant Manufactures mention above can easily be obtained in Costa Rica and price should not be a differentiating factor between one or the other.
One thing to consider when talking to your specialist about the brand of implants is the availability of the brand in your home country; as you never know if plans change and you need to get the work done over there. Take for example COVID-19 the closure of borders made it hard for a tourist to come back to finish their treatment; some did wait but others decided to proceed with the procedure in their home country.
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