Dental Implant
A smile can make your day brighter, but with missing teeth, you might lose the confidence to share your sweet smile with the world. This is where a dental implant procedure can help.

It is nothing more than a metal screw that is placed into the jawbone. If you are missing one or more teeth and wish to eat your favourite foods, increase your chewing ability, and improve your appearance, speech, and self-esteem, then you are a candidate for dental implants.

This replaces the root of a missing tooth and is made from surgical-grade titanium alloy. Initially the implant is placed into the jawbone and after an extended period of time, an abutment, which acts as a base for a prosthetic tooth replacement such as a Crown, is inserted into the implant.

In the past, dentists would try to keep or replace teeth with treatments such as root canals, bridges, and fixed or removable dentures. Unfortunately, a significant number of root-canal-treated teeth fail, bridges require that healthy adjacent teeth be cut down, and removable dentures can often be unstable and require the use of sticky adhesives. Dental implants are a solution to all of these problems, and many of the frustrations associated with natural teeth are eliminated, including dental decay.

The Procedure :
The placement of a dental implant is typically completed in less then an hour, as an office procedure with only local anesthesia. Post-operative discomfort is normally none or less than that of a tooth extraction. After a period of two to six months of healing, a final abutment post is inserted into the implant. A crown is secured to the abutment as the final restoration.

Who is a candidate for implant?
Anyone in reasonable health who wants to replace missing teeth. You must have enough bone in the area of the missing teeth to provide for the anchorage of the implants. If a patient does not have enough bone to support a dental implant, bone grafts can be placed.

What is the success rate of dental implants?
Here, success can be as high as 98-100 percent.

What can go wrong with dental implants?
There are really not too many things that can go wrong with dental implants. They can fail to integrate into the bone and come out. They can fracture or break. There can be problems with the connection between the implant and the prosthesis. There can be an infection or an inflammatory condition in the soft tissue and sometimes in the bone as a result of the implant placement. These complications can usually be easily corrected.

How much time is required to have an implant procedure?
A single dental implant placement is usually completed in less than an hour as an office procedure with local anaesthesia. The implant is then allowed to heal with the bone for a minimum of eight weeks. If you have poor quality bone and bone-grafting procedures are necessary, the overall process can take up to 12 months or more. Your dentist will determine which surgical procedure is best for you.

How much discomfort will I experience?
Minimal to none. While undergoing treatment, you will receive local anaesthesia. (Some clinicians may choose to use other forms of anaesthesia.) You may have mild post-surgical soreness for up to 72 hours. An over-the-counter pain reliever will alleviate the discomfort for most patients.

News Flash

From a land of food

Upholding the spirit of the month of February, Dhaka Regency has arranged Bangla Food Festival, a depiction of local delicacies that can enthral both local and foreign palates.

Inaugurated by Shafiq Alam Mehdi, Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, this seven-day-long affair is being held at the Grandiose Restaurant, Level Six, Dhaka Regency and is scheduled to conclude on 12 February, 2010.

The event not only makes delectable food offerings but also makes a point to highlight Bangla culture through live music from stalwarts in their own niche, Forida Parveen and Fahmida Nabi to name but two; discussions on literary aspects our culture will be presented by noted authorities like Imdadul Haque Milon and Shahiduzzaman Selim.

Coming back to the gustatory delights, which is the highlight of the affair, one can skim through a long list of savories offered in the buffet from mashed eggs (deem bhorta), daal bhorta (mashed lentils) to chitoi pitha with mashed mustard. There is also a wide assortment of meat dishes (try the Sylheti delicacy beef with shatkora) and of course, the ubiquitous fish curry.

So if you are looking to tantalise your taste buds, and 'fast' is not to your liking, give Dhaka Regency a try for a night of grand hospitality, good music, soulful literature and plain old good food, all under one roof.

By Mannan Mashhur Zarif