What Are Dental Implants?

What Are Dental Implants?

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Dental Implants...

What Are They?

After remarkable advances in dentistry in recent years, dental implants have become the treatment of choice for people missing one, a few, or all of their teeth. They can also be used to replace failing teeth or teeth affected by gum disease and for those with failing teeth or severe periodontal disease.

Dental implants look and perform more like natural teeth. There is no artificial plastic on the roof of the mouth, and the need for adhesives or denture creams is eliminated. More importantly, the use of dental implants has no impact on healthy adjacent teeth.

Dental implants are long-lasting tooth root replacements that your Devonshire House Specialist will place into the jawbone.

Replacement teeth then can be placed onto them.

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Advantages Of Dental Implants: Dental implants can be used to replace a single tooth, a few teeth, or all the teeth on one or both arches of your mouth. Implants are fixed in place and do not move. Therefore, there is no slipping or clicking as with dentures.

Implant supported teeth are the closest thing possible to natural teeth. They look, feel and function just like your natural teeth. Dental implants allow you to eat all the foods you like, just as with natural teeth.

Dental implants have proven to be reliable, with a 95% or higher success rate. Their success is

supported by decades of clinical experience and hundreds of thousands of satisfied patients.

Traditional bridges involve filing down healthy adjacent teeth. This treatment often fails within a few years resulting in expensive remedial work. Dental implants can be placed and restored

without damaging healthy adjacent teeth. With careful maintenance, this treatment can last a lifetime.

Unlike bridges or dentures, dental implants are placed into and fuse with the bone in your

jaw. This not only provides stability but prevents bone loss and the sunken appearance that normally results from missing teeth.

With dental implants you avoid the pain and embarrassment of dentures. There is no fear of your teeth slipping or falling out. There will be no need to avoid any activities and you will not need to worry about what you want to eat. Best of all there are no clasps or clips in your mouth and no plastic covering the roof of your mouth.

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Problems With Bridges and Dentures: Conventional dentistry provides replacements for missing teeth using bridges, removable partial dentures or full dentures. However, each of these treatment options can cause a new set of potential problems.

Bridges usually involve filing down adjacent, healthy teeth to provide a stable foundation for supporting the replacement teeth. These ground-down teeth often fail over time, resulting in additional dental problems and costs long term.

Partial and full dentures are often uncomfortable and can be very unstable, resulting in difficulty with speech and with eating. These appliances often slip or move and sometimes even fall out.

The result is a lack of confidence and the need to avoid many activities and social situations.

One patient put it this way “With my dentures, if I didn’t have to smile, eat or talk, I was just fine.”

Why Choose To Have Dental Implants?

Dental implants are fixed in place and do not move. The replacement teeth can be attached to the implants and will function almost like natural teeth.

Dental implant-supported teeth can give you back 95% of your natural biting and chewing capability. You will be able to eat the foods you like without the embarrassment of worrying about your teeth.

Dental implants look and feel like natural teeth. You will have the complete confidence to eat, speak, sing, laugh, be active, and do all the things you do with natural teeth, knowing that you have a beautiful smile and fully functioning teeth.

Dental implants address the problem of bone loss when a tooth has been extracted.

The implants are fixed into the bone and when you eat, the implants exercise the bone and stimulate the growth and health of the bone.

Replacing four upper missing teeth with an implant bridge (Illustration: Nobel Biocare)

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Replacing All Of Your Teeth With Dental Implants: Did you know that nearly 8 million people in the UK are missing all of their teeth on one or both arches? There are also significantly more individuals who have bad teeth or gum disease and will face losing all of their teeth in the near future. In the past, the only solution for these Replacing all of your teeth with patients has been full dentures.

Nobody Wants Dentures:

Did you know that nearly 8 millio teeth on one or both arches? Ther have bad teeth or gum disease an future. In the past, the only solutio

The traditional approach to replacing a full set of missing teeth has been to use full dentures. A full denture is a set of artificial teeth that rests on the gum line, and can often provide an excellent cosmetic result. However, dentures have a number of key problems such as being uncomfortable to chew with and unstable in the mouth.

Replacing a full bottom arch of teeth

Replacing a fulldenture. bottom arch of teeth with with a full a (Illustration: full denture. (Illustration: Nobel Biocare) Nobel Biocare)

Dental Implants Are The Dental implants are the preferred solution: Preferred Solution:

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Dentures can be very uncomfor gums. Therefore, eating can be ve

Dental implants are be fixed in place do not A full arch of teeth now can replaced with and just four With dentures, you have only a move.

Therefore, a permanent of replacement implants, without bone grafting.

Dentalset implants have This greatly restricts what and how Replacing a full bottom arch teeth can be attached to the implants and will with permanent replacement provenfunction to be the preferred approach to replacing a full Replacing a full bottom arch with almost like natural teeth. teeth with only 4 implants. permanent replacement teethwearers with only 4 report set of missing teeth and are a much better solution than Many denture (Illustration: Nobel Biocare) implants.

(Illustration: Nobel Biocare) dentures. While they can smile, th dentures.Dental implant-supported teeth can give you back eventhe talking witho 95% of your natural biting and chewing capability. Youand will sometimes be able to eat foods you like without the embarrassment of worrying about your teeth.

And dentures can have a huge n

interactions.

Dental implants look and feel like natural teeth. You will have the complete confidence to eat, speak, sing, laugh, be active, and do Upper all the dentures things youcover do the roof with natural teeth, knowing that you have a beautiful smile and fully uncomfortable and greatly inhibit y www.devonshirehousedental.co.uk Email: enquiries@devonshirehousedental.co.uk functioning teeth.

Also dentures do not stop the

Dental implants address the problem of bone loss. The implants are fixed

Frequently Asked Questions: 1. What Are Dental Implants?

A dental implant is composed of three key components: a small titanium screw that is inserted into and fuses with the jawbone, an “abutment� or post which attaches to the implant, and a crown (in the case of one implant) that fits over the abutment to provide a natural looking tooth that functions well.

Dental implants may be used to replace individual teeth, multiple teeth, or all your teeth in one or both arches. In the case of a full arch, 14 teeth may be supported by as few as four implants.

2. What Are The Benefits Of Dental Implants?

Implants are fixed in place, and look and perform almost like natural teeth. As they are permanently fixed in place, there are none of the problems of looseness or discomfort associated with wearing a denture. Implants also prevent damaging adjacent teeth when considering a bridge to replace a missing tooth.

Not only will implants help restore your smile, they will also improve your self confidence and allow you to eat all the foods you like without worrying about your teeth. There is no reason why this type of treatment cannot last a lifetime with regular routine maintenance.

3. How Successful Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants successfully integrate with the bone in more than 97% of cases. In those few cases where an implant becomes loose, your specialist Prosthodontist will remove the implant and place a new one in a slightly different position to achieve better integration with the bone.

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4. Can Anyone Get Dental Implants?

Almost everyone that has lost a tooth, several teeth or even all of their teeth is a candidate for dental implants. There are very few situations in which implants are not suitable. In fact, the dental profession is undergoing a great paradigm shift in that regular restorative dental crowns, bridges, partial and full dentures are considered obsolete, to be used only as alternatives to the more ideal and more successful treatment of dental implant supported restorative dentistry.

5. How Painful Is The Dental Implant Procedure?

This procedure, as any other oral surgical procedure, has some associated pain. However many implant patients comment that they were surprised at how minimal the pain and discomfort of their procedure was, especially when performed under IV sedation. Once the implants are placed, your new teeth are fixed to the implants and do not rest on your gums, thus avoiding aggravation to the surgical site. This means less pain than traditional dentures or other treatment approaches, and shorter duration of discomfort.

6. How Do I Care For My Dental Implants and New Teeth?

Implant supported teeth need to be brushed and cared for just like natural teeth, though flossing will be different. As with natural teeth, you will need to visit your dentist and hygienist periodically for review and maintenance.

7. Am I Too Old To Have Implants?

Age appears not to be a factor for dental implant success. Bone healing around dental implants occurs in patients in their 80’s with almost equal success as in patients in their 20’s.

The only thing to stand in the way of dental implant treatment in the elderly is their general medical health. There are a number of medical conditions that can preclude treatment and your Devonshire House Specialist will be able to advise you of these.

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Step By Step Implant Treatment Diary: Step 1 Examination and Diagnosis:

Following a thorough examination with appropriate X-rays or a CT scan, your Devonshire House specialist will be able to advise you on the best treatment option for you. You will be advised of any preparatory work required prior to your implant treatment and this will be arranged for you if necessary.

Step 2 Implant Placement:

Implants are normally placed under local anaesthetic. We routinely offer anxious patients treatment with intravenous sedation to make things more manageable for them. If necessary, you will be provided with a temporary restoration to tide you over the healing stage.

Step 3 Healing Stage:

You will have a review 7-10 days after the implant has been placed to remove any stitches. The Implant and the bone are allowed to fuse together over an 8 - 12 week period. We then allow the implant to fully attach to the bone over an 8-12 week period.

Step 4 The New Teeth:

Once the healing stage is complete, impressions can be taken. Your new teeth will then be ready to fit 3 weeks later.

Step 5 Aftercare:

Just like natural teeth, excellent cleaning and regular visits for check-ups and hygiene visits are essential to maintain the health of your gums and implant restoration.

2 Queen Edith’s Way - Cambridge - CB1 7PN - Tel: 01223 245266

Example on Average Timeline 0

2

Implant is placed

4

6

8

10

Implant is healing

12

14

16

18

Weeks

Your New Tooth is inserted

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Treatment Diary:

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Specialist Dental Health Care Email: enquiries@devonshirehousedental.co.uk

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