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Frequently Asked Questions
1.How many days/weeks advanced notice do you need before
beginning my treatment program?
2.How many hours each day will I be at your facility? How
many days are required to complete the treatment?
3.Why do you recommend the high noble metal porcelain
crowns to restore my teeth?
4.What is a sinus lift? How long a period of time should I
wait for the implant placement after the sinus lift?
5.Who is a candidate for dental implants?
6.What is the difference between two stage and one stage
dental implants?
7.How the treatment proceeds?
8.What are the steps to follow after I make the decision
to visit your clinic?
9.What are the options to replace the missing teeth?
10.What is a dental implant?
11.What material is used for dental implants?
12.How is the treatment?
13.What is the surgical phase?
14.How is the post-operative stage?
15.When will the new teeth be placed on the dental
implants?
16.Is it a painful treatment?
17.Could there be a failure?
18.What does it happen if a dental implant fails?
1. How many days/weeks advanced notice do you need before
beginning my treatment program?
We need to be notified at least 2 weeks before you come to
Costa Rica, in order to prepare for you a “day by day”
itinerary and confirm your appointments.
2. How many hours each day will I be at your facility? How
many days are required to complete the treatment?
Most of the dental treatments need 12 days for completion.
During these days our lab technicians will be preparing
the permanent crowns that will cover your teeth.
The hours during each appointment depend on the process;
however, most of the time it takes between 2 and 3 hours.
3. Why do you recommend the high noble metal porcelain
crowns to restore my teeth?
Grinding your teeth, an improper bite, age, fillings and
tooth decay can all be contributing factors in the wearing
down, cracking or breakage of your teeth. Dental crowns
cover the entire visible surface of your affected tooth
and add strength, durability and tooth stability.
4. What is a sinus lift? How long a period of time should
I wait for the implant placement after the sinus lift?
Sinus lifts, sometimes called a sinus augmentation, is
surgery that adds bone to your upper jaw in the area of
your molars and premolars. Once the procedure has been
done, you will need to wait about 6 to 8 months in order
to be able to place the implants.
5. Who is a candidate for dental implants?
Candidates for dental implants need to have healthy gums
and adequate bone to support the implant. This is the
reason why we request your dental records and panoramic
x-rays.
If your answer is affirmative to some of the following
questions, you can be considered an ideal candidate to be
treated with implants: •Have you lost one, some or all of
your teeth?
•Do you have difficulties with your removable denture (bad
retention, pain, etc)?
•Do you feel insecure when you smile, when speak or eat?
•Has a dentist told you that you have teeth in very bad
shape?
•Is there an area in your mouth where the corresponding
tooth never showed up?
6. What is the difference between two stage and one stage
dental implants?
a) Traditional: Using the traditional implant process,
placements in the lower jaw need about three months to
heal while placements in the upper jaw need about six
months to heal. Traditionally, the procedure has been
performed in two steps. The dentist begins by installing
the implant, which was left for three to six months to
heal and integrate with the jawbone. During the healing
period, the patient was given a temporary prosthesis until
the permanent crown could be put into place. Traditional
dental implants required patients to sacrifice much of
their time and money to achieve the look and feel of
natural-looking teeth.
b) One Stage Dental Implant: Osseo (bonding with your
natural bone) integration begins immediately. No long wait
for the bone to heal before placing the implant. There are
no missing teeth in the mouth because we place your
temporary crowns immediately on the post. The tooth looks
natural while the implant is healing.
Although the integration of bone tissue and the implant
device takes place normally, the physical characteristics
of the implant device itself creates the solid
infrastructure that enables immediate use.
7. How the treatment proceeds?
FIRST APPOINTMENT: The first step is to place the
implants, once the implants have been placed, an
impression is made. A very accurate model is made from
this impression from which the lab will make the permanent
bridge or the crowns. (Bridges and crowns are usually made
of porcelain with a metal substructure. The porcelain
gives it esthetics and durability and the metal underneath
allows for strength and a good fit). When the impressions
have been taken, a temporary tooth is made and it will be
similar to the final bridge and / or crown, though not as
durable. It is cemented with temporary cement for the days
that the lab technicians will be making the permanents.
The temporary keeps the teeth comfortable and keeps the
teeth from drifting.
Be careful not to eat hard or sticky foods with the
temporaries, since they are not as durable as your
permanent bridge or crowns. If your temporaries do come
off, it is important to have them re-cemented to prevent
teeth from drifting.
SECOND APPOINTMENT: Once the bridge or crown is done (7
days after the first appointment), it is fixed with a
permanent cement.
FINAL APPOINTMENT: Between 12 to 24 hours after the
permanent crowns placement, you will be scheduled for the
final appointment for final adjustments and where the
doctor will make sure there are no problems.
8. What are the steps to follow after I make the decision
to visit your clinic?
First of all you should decide on the date you wish your
procedure to begin, bearing in mind our two week notice
policy period. We will then prepare a preliminary day by
day itinerary, you will then have the dates needed to
purchase your airline tickets.
9. What are the options to replace the missing teeth?
The first option is place an artificial titanium root
(dental implant) that will support a porcelain crown. The
next option is the bridge, which consists on trimming the
neighbor teeth, to make porcelain crowns on them fixed to
another crown that will replace the lost tooth. The third
is a removable denture, which is retained by hooks, and
stabilized by a plastic or metallic structure that covers
the palate or the tongue zone. The patient can remove it
from the mouth.
10. What is a dental implant?
Dental implants are small titanium cylinders that work as
artificial dental roots, once they are placed inside the
jawbone. This way the artificial teeth can be anchored in
these new roots contributing to recover a beautiful smile,
as well as a comfortable speaking and chewing. Dental
implants will allow us to chew with total comfort, and to
smile and speak with the same security than with our own
teeth. With the use of the dental implants, there is no
need to touch, trim or injure the neighbor teeth, to
replace the missing tooth.
11. What material is used for dental implants?
Along the history of dentistry and medicine, many
materials have been used. At the present time, the only
material considered valid for dental implants is titanium.
12. How is the treatment?
The treatment consists on two stages:
a. Surgical phase
b. Prosthetic phase.
13. What is the surgical phase?
The surgical treatment consists on the placement of the
artificial roots or implants inside the jawbone. It is
performed with local anesthesia, and is painless. Sedation
and general anesthesia are options for nervous patients.
The duration of the intervention is from one to two hours.
14. How is the post-operative stage?
It is not painful. The following day of the intervention
the patient will have a slightly inflamed area in the
face. Painkillers, antibiotics and anti- inflammatories
are prescribed for a short period.
15. When will the new teeth be placed on the dental
implants?
The time between the surgical phase and the placement of
the crowns varies depending on the case.
The range varies between seven and ten days, to give time
to the implant to integrate or fix to the bone. More time
could be waited if the patient asked so (i.e. because of a
trip).
16. Is it a painful treatment?
No, it is not. A treatment with implants demands a
surgical intervention, but pain and all the other
implications can be perfectly controlled.
17. Could there be a failure?
In spite of the excellent clinical results obtained with
implants (93 to 97% success rate) there is a 3 to 7% rate
for failure. No other dental treatment has such a high
success rate for long terms.
18. What does it happen if a dental implant fails?
If an implant fails, it is possible to substitute it for
another one to solve the problem after the jaw has healed.
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