Replacement of Missing Teeth with Dental Implants for a Dazzling Smile

An 18 year old female patient approached our dental hospital wanting to replace her missing upper front teeth. Patient gives a history of an accidental fall from a flight of stairs that occurred 2 weeks back at school, which has knocked out a couple of her upper front teeth right away injuring her gums and lips. Her lacerated gums and lips were treated at a local dental clinic nearby her residence. The young patient feels very odd and distressed to be without teeth. She grieved about her friends teasing her at school with funny names for her unpleasant smile without teeth. The patient’s parent demanded for a fixed option to replace her missing upper front teeth.

On clinical examination, there was missing teeth in the upper front region. The surrounding gum tissues were fine with no pathological findings.

On radiological examination, OPG taken shows complete missing of upper anteriors with no remnants of teeth inside the bone. No abnormalities seen in the surrounding bone structure.

A thorough blood investigation revealed no systemic abnormalities.

On view with the patients demand and considering her age, Dr. S.M. Balaji planned to fix dental implants at the involved site under local anesthesia. Later replacement of missing teeth with fixed ceramic prosthesis. Since the patient’s parent was also keen on fixed option, consent was obtained.

Under local anesthesia, the gum tissue at the relative site was opened exposing the underlying jaw bone. Secondly, Dental implants of appropriate size and height were fixed in the bone with stability. Finally, the gum tissues were approximated with absorbable suture covering the implants.

Instructions on oral care routine was briefed to the patient. She was asked to wait for a healing period of 3 months for the final prosthesis placement. During this interval of time, the dental implants completely osseointegrates with the surrounding jaw bone. In addition, an upper temporary prosthesis was given to replace the missing upper teeth for the time being.

Post-operative OPG taken after 3 months shows well integrated dental implants in proper position with the bone. Hence after a few clinical sessions, a natural looking ceramic teeth were fixed onto the dental implants, enhancing the appearance of her smile and look. The shade of the final prosthesis was in perfect match with the color of her natural teeth, which instantly boosted her self confidence. The patient and her parents were extremely delighted and satisfied with the outcome.