Hospital opens dental clinic, offers free implant surgeries
Kolkata: Dental patients, who need implants, will now get free of cost treatment at Dr R Ahmed Dental College and Hospital as a new dental implant clinic has started functioning on the hospital campus.
Doctors from the department of Prosthodontia, department of oral and maxillofacial surgery and the department of Periodontia will treat the patients at the new dental clinic at the hospital.
Since March 2, when the clinic was officially inaugurated, senior doctors from all the three departments conducted dental implant surgeries on 12 patients.
Artificial teeth would be implanted replacing those which have been damaged owing to various causes.
There may be a single implant or multiple implants as determined by the expert doctors of the hospital.
Dr Tirthankar Debnath, assistant professor, department of Periodontia and Public Health dentistry said the whole process of dental implant might take about four months and the process would be conducted in various phases.
According to Dr Debnath, there are two aspects of dental implant — mechanical and biological. A titanium base would be implanted as a
root on jawbone and an artificial teeth made of ceramic would be fitted on the titanium base.
"The teeth would be implanted a couple of months after the titanium base is fitted on the patients' jaw so that the base becomes a permanent part of the jaw through Osseointegration. It is a process that allows dental implants to become a permanent part of the jaw. I
t maintains the structural and functional connection between living bone and the surface of a load-bearing artificial implant. When the titanium base is cemented with the jaw, it is desirable to implant the metal ceramic teeth," Dr Debnath said.
Using dental implant the patients will be able to use the teeth almost like an original one. The patients can make the use implanted teeth up to 95 per cent naturally, an expert said. According to sources, a patient would have to pay anything between Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000 for a single implant at private establishments depending on the quality of the implants. While Dr R Ahmed Dental College and Hospital is conducting the surgeries free of cost.
The Mamata Banerjee government has carried out major infrastructure reforms in the state-run hospitals where the patients are availing best treatment free of cost.
Dr Raju Biswas, a member of Dental council of India, said: "We are thankful to the Chief Minister for her support and motivation towards the newly inaugurated implant clinic at the hospital. In an era of scientific advancement, implants are essentials for all the patients undergoing dental extraction."
