Implantology

A dental implant is an artificial root, placed in the jaw, on which a crown, bridge or full arch of teeth is built. Done properly, it is the closest modern dentistry comes to growing a tooth back: reviews following implants for ten years and longer report survival above 90 percent [1, 2]. At Dental Bosphorus, the surgery and the teeth that follow are made under one roof.

What an implant actually is

The implant itself is a small titanium screw. Titanium fuses with living bone, a phenomenon called osseointegration, first demonstrated by the Swedish researcher Per-Ingvar Brånemark and his team in the 1960s [3]. Once fused, the implant carries an abutment and a crown, and works, feels and photographs like a natural tooth. For patients with titanium sensitivity, ceramic zirconia implants can be considered; your surgeon will advise after examination.

Who it is for

From a single missing tooth to a completely edentulous jaw, implants are assessed case by case. What matters is bone volume, gum health, general health and habits. Uncontrolled diabetes, untreated gum disease and heavy smoking work against healing [4]. Where bone is lacking, grafting and sinus lifting rebuild the foundation first. None of this is guesswork: your jaw is mapped in three dimensions before any decision is made.

Who should approach with care

Some conditions call for care or preparation before implant surgery rather than ruling it out. Uncontrolled diabetes can slow healing and fusion, while well-managed diabetes is usually no obstacle. Untreated gum disease is brought under control first, since a healthy gum is the foundation of a lasting implant. Heavy smoking is among the strongest factors working against success [4]. Most of these are risks to manage, not absolute barriers, and your surgeon weighs them alongside your full medical history before advising you.

How treatment unfolds at the atelier

Your first visit begins with an intraoral 3D scan and volumetric tomography; no impression trays, no waiting for a lab across town. Placement is done under local anaesthesia, with sedation or general anaesthesia available for anxious patients, run by a dedicated anaesthesia team. The implant then fuses with the bone over two to six months. On your second visit, the permanent crowns are milled, layered and glazed at our own bench, a few steps from the chair, and fitted the same week. Adjustments take minutes, not days, because the laboratory never left the building.

Full-arch: All-on-4 and All-on-6

When a whole jaw needs replacing, a fixed bridge of teeth can be carried on four or six implants. It is a fixed, non-removable answer for patients tired of dentures. The choice between four and six implants is anatomical, not commercial: bone volume and bite decide it, and your surgeon will show you why on your own scan.

What the evidence says

A systematic review of 7,711 implants followed for at least ten years reported a mean survival rate of 94.6 percent [1]. Another meta-analysis put ten-year survival at 96.4 percent [2]. The variables that move those numbers are largely in the patient's hands: daily hygiene, professional check-ups and not smoking. The implant cannot decay, but the gum and bone around it can fall ill just as they do around natural teeth, a condition called peri-implantitis, which is manageable when caught early [4].

Healing and aftercare

The first days call for prescribed medication and soft food. After that, an implant asks no more of you than a natural tooth: brushing twice a day, cleaning between teeth and regular check-ups [5]. Our coordinators stay in touch through your healing months, and your dentist reviews the implant at every visit, whether you are in Istanbul or writing to us from home.