A dental implant is a small but strong post used in place of a missing tooth root and it acts as a support or base for fixing individual crowns, multi-tooth bridges or dentures.
Until fairly recently, traditional dentures and bridges were the only options for replacing missing teeth.
Some people can’t comfortably wear dentures. They find them painful, they don’t remain in place, and they can cause embarrassing clicking noises when you eat, speak or laugh. Traditional bridges can also cause the bone in that area to recede, possibly destabilising the adjacent teeth, and increasing the risk of periodontal disease to those teeth.
A dental implant has none of these disadvantages with improved techniques and advances in the materials used for dental implants making them a better alternative for many people.
If you are interested in dental implants, please contact the practice and arrange a consultation. Dental implant treatment could give your teeth a new lease of life.
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Phase 1 Implant placement.
Our implant surgeon will apply a local anaesthetic and place a titanium post into the jaw bone in the location of the missing tooth.
This procedure is quick, lasting between one and two hours and relatively painless due to the local anaesthetic. You may experience a small amount of discomfort following the placement of the implant but this will subside and healing will occur relatively quickly.
Phase 2 Biological integration
This occurs when the implant has integrated with the bone, and is usually expected to occur within 8-12 weeks. In a very small amount of cases, this integration may take up to a year.
When the implant has integrated with the bone, it will provide a strong and stable platform for the new crown or bridge.
Phase 3 Restoring the implant
Once your implant integrates with the bone, we are then able to restore the implant. After taking molds of the position of the implants, the final ‘teeth’ can be individually designed, made and cemented or screwed into the implant.
Once in place, they will look, feel and function as a natural tooth.
If you have a single missing tooth, a single dental implant is the best solution for you and we often replace missing front teeth with dental implants. A single titanium implant is placed, and we attach a dental crown, which will look and function just like your own tooth.
If you have lost several teeth there are typically two solutions: separate dental crowns attached to dental implants or a dental bridge attached to 2 or more dental implants. If you have one or more teeth missing, then you may not need as many implants as you think. Not every missing tooth needs to have an implant beneath it. We can fit a bridge to a single implant on which two or more crowns are used to replace adjoining teeth.
Do you struggle wearing your denture? Does it become loose and move about, causing difficulty in eating and speaking? If this sounds familiar, dental implants can be placed in order to secure your denture into position, the number of implants needed will depend on your individual circumstances.
