Dental Implants

What Are Implants?

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root that is placed into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Dental implants may be an option for people who have lost a tooth or teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury, or some other reason.

Dentures are false teeth and although their quality has improved, they can slip out of place, while eating, or speaking, causing huge embarrassment.  Implants are implanted securely and therefore don’t move, making you feel more confident when talking and more comfortable when eating.

The colour is matched to your other teeth, making them look just like your natural teeth and provided you look after them, as you would your own teeth, they are a good long-term solution.

The Experience

To begin, you will have an incision made and the implant placed into the jawbone using a screw, which replaces the root of the original tooth. The gums are then sutured using stitches and left to heal for three to six months, during which time the jawbone will integrate with the implant.

Temporary crowns or dentures can be fitted but patients must avoid hard or chewy foods. When healed, an abutment is placed on the implant and an impression is taken which is used to create the crown, or ‘tooth’. The crown will be shaped and coloured to match your other teeth. A final fitting completes the process.

Dental implants usually require at least three months to heal, but with a bone graft this can extend to 6 months or more.

All of this may sound painful, but the procedure is easier than taking a tooth out. Usually a local anaesthetic is used, which means you are awake but shouldn’t feel any pain. Should you be very anxious, you can have oral sedation or general anaesthetic. You may experience discomfort and swelling for a few days after the procedure, however painkillers, such as Ibuprofen are recommended and you can use an icepack to reduce swelling. Avoid smoking and vigorous exercise, and eat soft foods until your mouth has healed.

How Do They Work?

There are three stages to an implant:

A titanium screw is inserted into the jawbone, which once it is fully integrated, can be loaded with the final abutment and crown/bridge. There are a range of implants available and our dentists will provide a recommendation on the most suitable system to replace a single tooth or several teeth, and depending on the bone density and size.

The abutment then attaches to the implant and can either be a cemented or a screw retained. Abutments range from standard titanium to metal free zirconium, aesthetically pleasing zirconia abutments are used primarily for front teeth.

 The crown is the ‘tooth part of the implant’. There are many options for the type of crown used such as porcelain fused to metal and the latest zirconia based metal free crowns. Not every crown requires an implant. For example, if three teeth need replacing next to each other, and bone density is good, usually only two implants are required with a 3 unit bridge on top.  Exact implants will depend on the bone quality and strength.

Emily’s Story

“I was so conscious of the state of my teeth. Having this treatment has changed my life. Not only did the clinic take really good care of me, but I have also saved a huge amount of money”

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