Implant reconstruction of the jaws and craniofacial skeleton.

Full oral rehabilitation with a high degree of success is now possible with osseointegrated implants. Osseointegration is a direct connection between living bone and the titanium implant at the level of the light microscope. Osseointegrated implants are currently used to replace single teeth, support fixed bridges and stabilize full dentures. These implants can also be placed extraorally for attachment of facial prosthesis. The surgical technique used to place implants intraorally into jaws or facial skeleton is performed in two stages using a local anesthetic and/or conscious sedation. During stage I surgery, holes are placed into the jaw using a series of gradually larger diameter burs until the desired diameter and depth of the bony preparation is achieved. The implant is then placed. The implant must remain undisturbed for 4 months for osseointegration to take place. Stage II surgery is then required to remove the mucosa over the implant and place the transmucosal abutment. After 1-2 weeks of healing, the restorative dentist can take an impression and fabricate the prosthesis. On occasion, it is necessary to augment the height and width of the atrophic jaw with autogenous or allogeneic bone grafts prior to implant placement. Bone grafts are sometimes placed on the floor of the nose or the floor of the maxillary sinus. Guided tissue regeneration is a technique used to generate bone within bony defects adjacent to implants. With long-term rates of success (5 years) of 99% for implants placed in the mandible and 95% for those placed in the maxilla, reconstruction of the jaws and cranial facial skeleton with osseointegrated implants has become the treatment of choice.