Dental Implants
This page will hopefully answer some of your questions on dental implants and implantology. If you have any queries regarding dental implants then please contact us and we will try to answer them
What are Dental Implants ?
Dental Implants are cylinders of titanium which are placed in the jaws and act as artificial roots. They are used to replace a tooth when the natural tooth, above and below the gum, has been lost.
Are they successful ?
The success rate in modern implantology is over 90%
In what circumstances are they a good idea ?
They are a really good idea for the provision of bridges which would otherwise be impossible, as single tooth replacement and to retain and support dentures
To support a bridge which would otherwise not be possible.
............................
To replace a single tooth that has been lost or never grew.
...........................
To support and retain a denture.
............................
Is the procedure painful ?
Implant placement is usually carried out under a local anaesthetic and is pain free. There is usually a little post operative discomfort for a couple of days and is of a similar degree to that experienced after having a tooth removed.
What does implant placement involve ?
Implant placement normally involves a local anaesthetic followed by the making of a small cut along the ridge of the gum. a small amount of drilling is then all that is needed to complete the preparation for implant placement. The implant is then inserted into the bone and the gum is replaced and held in place with a couple of stitches.
Depending on the circumstances the implant may remain visible above the gum or may be completely buried.
How long does it take ?
The surgical proceedure takes about 30 minutes.
The implants are then left for between 8 weeks and 6 months while they integrate with the bone. The time interval will depend on the implant type and the clinical circumstances.
Are Implants expensive ?
They are not cheap. but in certain circumstances they are without doubt the best thing to use. They avoid damaging other teeth and can completely transform the wearing of dentures.
The cost is roughly £1000 per implant.
(every patient is different and needs to be individually assessed)
What implants are used at the practice ?
We use the Straumann ITI implants
Who should carry out the dental work that is placed on top of the implants ?
It is our philosophy that, ideally, one operator should be responsible for implant placement and the restorative work that is placed on the implants. This is not always possible and we are happy to just carry out the implant placement and leave the other work to someone else.
The reasoning behind our "one operator" philosophy is that the implant placement will be much more tailored to the restorative phase and the restorative aspects will be optimised to implant success.
Also if things do go wrong there is only one person to blame !