The implant

Implants are artificial tooth roots that are used to anchor a crown, bridge or prosthesis in the jawbone. Furthermore, implants can also be used to anchor orthodontic appliances and to hold epitheses (= individually manufactured facial prostheses) in case of defects in the facial area. Nowadays implants are surgically inserted into the bone under local anesthesia and are made of titanium or ceramic.

Titanium is a particularly biocompatible metal that rarely causes rejection reactions. Screws or cylinders are preferred as implant forms, since studies have shown that the prognosis of healing is greatest with these forms. The implantation is not feasible in every patient.

Insufficient bone supply and drugs that prevent the implant from healing are the most common exclusion criteria for implant placement. Furthermore, implant placement is only possible in adult patients, since in children the growth of the skull and jaws continues and the implant does not grow with the patient, so that in this case the growth of a section of the jaw would also be inhibited. An implant restoration is often associated with patience.

If bone has to be built up (“augmented”) beforehand when there is insufficient bone available, the time until implantation is extended by 6 to 9 months until the artificial bone or bone graft heals. Most practitioners do not prefer immediate loading during implant placement, but rather a long-term healing phase. Depending on the implant, it is then waited 3 months (in the mandible) to 6 months (in the maxilla) until the implant has completely grown into the bone and can be loaded with dentures. The cost of an implant is a purely personal contribution, which is calculated at a price of 1000 Euro upwards without a dental prosthesis lying on it. Since dentists set the prices for implants completely privately, there are particularly large variations in price.See here: Costs of a dental implant

The Veneer

A veneer is a veneer that is attached to the outer surface of the tooth with a special dental adhesive. The veneer is wafer-thin and made of ceramic, which is why it can achieve highly aesthetic results. Therefore, a veneer is especially suitable for anterior restorations and can reconstruct small defects. Due to the advanced technique of production and the color brilliance, a difference to the “real” neighboring teeth is almost invisible to the layman. The costs for a veneer are higher than for a crown and can be integrated from 800 Euro upwards.