Advanced dentistry: What Goes into a Dental Implant?

Dental Design

Dental Implants

Dental implants are an advanced dental treatment that can provide a wonderful and long-lasting solution for tooth loss. Using technology that has been developed and thoroughly tested over decades, dental implants can replace any missing teeth in a way that closely mimics your natural teeth.

Who Should Consider Dental Implants?

Most people will find they are suitable for dental implant treatment, provided they are over the age of 18 and their teeth and jaws have finished developing and growing.

Dental implants may also be used to secure and stabilise loose dentures, while allowing them to still be easily removed for cleaning and maintenance.

Who Can Benefit from Dental Implants?

Treatment can be equally beneficial whether you have only lost a single tooth, or are faced with multiple or complete tooth loss. Dental implants are used to support single implant crowns, while multiple dental implants can secure bridges, including full-arch bridges and even full dentures.

This treatment is ideal for those looking for an optimal way to replace missing teeth and who are interested in a long-term, secure solution. With dental implants, it’s possible to put the embarrassment of tooth loss behind you. Treatment can help to restore self-esteem and self-confidence, as no-one need know you have ever lost teeth, or even have dentures.

What are the Components of a Dental Implant?

Dental implants consist of three separate components. The first is the titanium screw or post that is inserted into your jawbone during a small surgical procedure. This is designed to closely replicate a natural tooth root.

The second component is the abutment that is attached to the implant post and which will support your replacement tooth or teeth. The third component is your restorative implant which may be a crown, bridge or denture.

We only use Biomet3i or Straumann implant components, primarily as these systems are backed by many years of research and are some of the highest quality implants available today. By utilising products from both companies, we can provide precisely the right components to suit your dental needs.

Our clinicians are also experienced in using other implant systems and we are able to service and maintain many of the dental implant systems used today.

What to Expect from Dental Implant Surgery?

Every implant treatment is carefully planned as we want to ensure it will be a smooth and comfortable treatment journey resulting in a long lasting and successful outcome.complete success and that treatment is as smooth and as comfortable as possible.

Your well-being is our priority and this is why we need to carry out extensive clinical and radiological assessments before treatment can begin.

Planning Your Implant Surgery

Both Neel and Vinit are Specialists in Prosthodontics (specialty of restoring and replacing missing teeth) and are involved in the postgraduate education and training of dentists in Oxford and at the University College London, Eastman Dental Institute in London. In the first instance they would need to thoroughly assess your mouth and will talk to you about your medical history as certain conditions can affect the way the implant heals with the jawbone, particularly any medical problems that may suppress your immune system.

Following a careful evaluation of your teeth and gums, the next step would be to take digital dental x-rays as well as a 3D cone beam CT scan. A cone beam CT scan is particularly important as it provides 3-D images of your jaws and important structures including your sinus cavities, nerves and blood vessels. The 3D images allows us to assess the quality and quantity of bone available for your dental implants, as sometimes it is necessary to build up the bone or gums before inserting the dental implants using the very latest bone augmentation and tissue regeneration techniques.

As part of this assessment, you will be provided with a complete treatment plan detailing all the options available. Our aim is to make sure you have all the knowledge required to take control of your dental health and make an informed decision on the treatment options available.

Once we have all this information about your dental health, our specialists will plan your implant surgery using your x-rays and 3D cone beam CT scan to pinpoint the optimal location for each implant, in relation to where the final tooth/teeth are planned to be. Next, a surgical stent is made which is a bit like a very sophisticated template and this will be used during your implant surgery to make sure your dental implants are precisely positioned exactly as planned.

What to Expect during the Actual Implant Surgery?

Thanks to all the advanced planning, your implant surgery should be relatively smooth and quick, especially if you just require a single dental implant that will typically take just an hour or so to place.

Afterwards, any discomfort should be relatively minor and we will give you lots of instructions and practical advice on how to care for the implant site. If needed, we can also provide you with temporary teeth to use during the healing phase, where your dental implant posts will bond and integrate with your jawbone.

After three months or so, we can make your restorative implants, using the highest quality materials to provide long-lasting and highly aesthetic results. Then it’s simply a matter of enjoying your new teeth and your fully restored smile. Following this, we can also give you advice on how to care for your new implants.

If you are interested in finding out more about dental implants why not contact us here at One The Gallery to arrange your initial consultation or to discuss any questions you may have with one of our experienced team.