You can replace missing or broken teeth with natural looking, implants lasting 20 years or more.

 

If you’re looking to replace missing or broken teeth, but dread the thought of popping dentures in and out of your mouth for the rest of your life, dental implants are a durable and maintenance-free option best suited to your lifestyle.

On the other hand if you’ve been wearing dentures for some time, with dental implants you’ll never again suffer from the discomfort of dentures shifting when you speak or eat.

You also don’t have to worry about the potential of tooth decay in healthy teeth positioned alongside a partial set of dentures which may not have been properly fitted.

 

What Exactly is a Dental Implant?

A dental implant is a manufactured replacement for the root of a tooth. Usually made of titanium and looking a little like a screw, the implant is surgically positioned in the jaw bone. A crown is then attached to the top of the implant to fill the gap of the missing tooth, giving it a natural appearance.

 

How is a Dental Implant Fitted?

A series of scans are taken by your dentist to accurately position the implant and to ensure you have plenty of healthy bone structure. If the bone is diseased or missing, there is still a possibility of a bone graft in order to make an implant viable.

The titanium implant is surgically placed in the bone of your jaw where a tooth once was. It is then left for between two and six months so the bone can grow around the implant. During this time you may wear a temporary crown.

Once the implant is securely fused to the bone, the temporary crown is removed and a permanent crown is either cemented or screwed into place.

If you are missing all of your teeth and wear a full denture, it is still possible to use dental implants to restore your smile. A full arch of natural-looking teeth can be held in place on as little as four implants. These fit snugly to help make it feel comfortable and eliminate the need for daily removal and cleaning.

 

What are the advantages of an implant?

Implants create the most natural and life-like solution to a missing tooth. The result is virtually indistinguishable from your other teeth and in a very short space of time, it will likely feel completely normal.

Other solutions for replacing missing teeth – either a bridge or dentures – are not as long-lasting or natural-looking. Implants allow you to eat, speak and maintain an oral health regimen as if you had never lost a tooth in the first place.

 

Why Choose an Implant?

Implants are the most natural looking solution to missing teeth. The result is virtually indistinguishable from your other teeth and in a very short space of time, it will likely feel completely normal.

Other solutions for replacing missing teeth – either a bridge or dentures – are not as long-lasting or natural-looking. Implants allow you to eat, speak and maintain an oral health regimen as if you had never lost a tooth in the first place.

You can also say goodbye to the drudgery of cleaning dentures every day to keep them in shape.

 

Is a Dental Implant Right For You?

All you need for a dental implant fitted is to be in good health, possess a healthy jawbone and have no gum disease. The success rate of dental implants is very high.

The presence of gum disease or tooth decay can impact on the success of the procedure. These need to be fully treated before even thinking about implants.

Smoking needs to be stopped well before treatment and ideally after the implants are fitted. Smoking reduces healing capacity and can cause complications at the integration point of the implant, not to mention its other effects on general health.

Some medical conditions and the medication required to treat them can also have an adverse effect on implants. These include diabetes, cancer and gastric reflux.

It’s important to fully discuss your medical history with your dentist in the planning stages of the implant procedure.

 

Maintaining dental implants

One of the biggest advantages of dental implants is that they require no special after-care. All you need to do is simply brush, floss and visit your dentist as normal. Good oral hygiene, healthy gums and a twice yearly check-up are your implant’s best friends.

 

How long do implants last?

With proper oral hygiene, you can expect dental implants to last around 20 years. However, it’s entirely possible for them to last a lifetime.