When a person is faced with the loss of teeth, whether in the upper or lower arch, the most advisable thing to do for oral health is to rehabilitate the area by means of dental implant treatment.
In this way, the process of bone and gum loss that takes place after a tooth falls out will be avoided. This is because when the dental implant is placed, it replaces the original root of the tooth, integrating itself into the bone and preventing its deterioration.
These implants can support different types of prostheses or artificial teeth. One of them is the hybrid prosthesis on dental implants, which is the option that most closely resembles having natural teeth.
What is a hybrid prosthesis?
It is a fixed structure screwed on dental implants that aims to replace lost teeth and soft tissues – gums -.
This type of prosthesis is a good option to consider, since it is the rehabilitation treatment that most closely resembles the sensation of having your own teeth.
This sensation is mainly due to the fact that it is fixed and does not have a palate. Therefore, it provides great esthetics, safety and comfort to those who wear it.
In which cases is it indicated?
It is used in patients who are completely edentulous, that is to say, who have no teeth, either in the maxilla, the mandible or even both. And, in addition, they have moderate bone loss.
On the other hand, this type of rehabilitation is also indicated for those people who, although they still have teeth in their mouth, these teeth have an impossible prognosis in the short term and are doomed to total edentulism.
hybrid prosthesis on implants
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HYBRID PROSTHESIS ON IMPLANTS
How is the hybrid prosthesis placed?
Before starting to explain the placement process, it is necessary to detail what the hybrid prosthesis consists of.
It consists of a metal core covered with several layers of white and pink porcelain that give the aesthetics of the teeth and gums.
This structure is screwed onto the implants that have been previously placed in the bone by surgery.
This is done by means of intermediate screws that fix the whole structure and seal the space between the prosthesis and the implants.
Finally, the entrance of these screws through the prosthesis is sealed by using Teflon and composite, as if a filling or dental filling were being performed.
In the daily cleaning of the prosthesis we can use dental floss, an interproximal brush and an irrigator.
How is it made?
As we have already mentioned, the hybrid prosthesis on dental implants consists of a metal core (titanium or chromium-nickel).
This metal structure will be coated with a laboratory composite resin, called gradia, which will give the esthetics of the teeth and the pink gingiva.
Before starting to manufacture the prosthesis it is necessary to carry out a complete study of the specific case of each patient, to ensure that it fits completely to your needs (in everything related to color, size, comfort …).
Although depending on the dental clinic you go to, the prosthesis manufacturing process may be different, at DrAW Dental Clinic we use CAD/CAM technology (computer-aided design and manufacturing).
This procedure requires, first of all, that we take the records of the patient’s mouth through an intraoral scanner in three dimensions.
Subsequently, the software with this technology is responsible for projecting the prosthesis through the 3D digital reproduction that we have achieved.
This information, i.e., the virtual model we have in the computer, is sent to the laboratory. And, from there, they take care of the design and milling (fabrication) of the prosthesis.
Finally, they send the prosthesis to the dental clinic so that one of our specialized dentists can fit it for the patient.
Right now, CAD/CAM technology is the most current technology that can be used to carry out dental implant restorations.
It is therefore a major breakthrough and has the following advantages over the traditional techniques used:
It helps to make more durable and natural restorations.
It makes it possible to shorten treatment times and reduce the number of appointments with the implantologist.
It provides greater precision in the diagnosis and in the surgical phase.
How is it cleaned?
This type of implant-supported fixed prosthesis requires a specific oral hygiene method that must be carried out by the patient himself at home.
On the one hand, the surface of the teeth of the prosthesis should be cleaned by conventional brushing (with a manual or electric toothbrush) mechanically sweeping away food debris and bacteria.
However, the most important aspect of hygiene in these cases is the use of an additional cleaning method to remove the debris that accumulates under the prosthesis.
For this, we have a series of oral tools that can help us:
Super-floss type dental floss: we must thread the first portion of the floss section and then use the next section, which is sponge type, to gently drag the remains of plaque.
Interproximal brushes: among these, single toothbrushes should be used, which are inserted under the prosthesis between all the pieces of the prosthesis and the gum, allowing adequate hygiene by making small movements in and out.
Oral irrigator: an electric device that generates a jet of water that is introduced under the prosthetic space and allows dragging food debris, but not bacteria. It is the most convenient to use and is especially indicated in those prostheses whose design is very retentive of plaque and calculus, with difficult access for interdental brushes.
Expert in dental implants and prostheses.
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EXPERTS IN DENTAL PROSTHESIS
Differences with overdentures
When it is time to decide between one rehabilitation technique or another, the overdenture is often presented as an alternative treatment to the hybrid prosthesis.
Although before deciding it is important that the implantologist performs an adequate individualized diagnosis of the patients to assess which is the best option, we can establish what are the main differences between the two treatments.
Fixed or removable solution:
The overdenture is removable and allows it to be removed after meals for oral and prosthetic hygiene, making it easier to clean.
Hybrids, on the other hand, are completely fixed and can only be removed by the specialist dentist, not by the patient wearing the prosthesis himself.
Number of implants:
The overdenture requires the placement of four implants in the upper arch and two implants in the mandible.
However, the hybrid requires the placement of six implants in the maxilla and four implants in the mandible.
Mucosal support:
On the one hand, the overdenture is a removable prosthesis with mucosal support. At this point, it is convenient to detail that by buccal mucosa we mean those soft and moist tissues found inside the mouth.
On the other hand, the hybrid prosthesis does not present mucosal support, and its retention in the mouth depends exclusively on dental implants.
Lip support:
The overdenture makes it possible to replace the lost lip support, improving facial esthetics and the patient’s esthetic profile.
With hybrid prostheses only dental pieces and soft tissues are replaced.
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Advantages and disadvantages of hybrid prosthesis
Benefits
It is fixed: the prosthesis is screwed to the implants so that the patient feels that they are their own teeth.
Highly esthetic: teeth and gums are replaced, achieving an optimal esthetic result.
Better proprioception: one of the main advantages attributed to this type of prosthesis is the reduction of the impact of occlusal forces (during masticatory function), since the acrylic element acts as an intermediary between the teeth and the metal structure.
Versatility and ease of prosthetic maintenance: the clinician can remove it at any time and make repairs, change the acrylic and the teeth.
Disadvantages
Cost: its cost is higher than that of an overdenture.
Hygiene: a certain amount of skill and dexterity is required in the use of daily home hygiene methods for cleaning the prosthesis.
Having said all the above, when choosing the rehabilitation option it is essential to have the opinion of the implantologist, who will also have carried out a complete study of the case, and that of the patient.
In short, the patient’s preferences must be taken into account since this will be the person who will wear the prosthesis for years – or even for life.
