Understanding dental implants
Our teeth will go through a lot during a lifetime. From about 12 years of age, people will have their full set of adult teeth, which doesn’t include wisdom teeth which will usually come at 18 years old. Once we have our adult teeth we will be using the same set of teeth for chewing and taking the force of anything that goes in our mouths. The large majority of us will follow the advice of dental professionals in order to take care of our teeth as best possible, but sometimes factors outside of our control like disease and genetics can lead to us losing a tooth or more. If people do lose teeth then one of the best solutions around are dental implants.
Here we will explain some key points to help you get more of an understanding of dental implants. If you require any more information please do give us a call anytime or book an appointment to speak through your options with our team of experts.
What are they?
Dental implants are a solution for anyone who has unfortunately lost teeth due to an accident, old age or disease. In simple terms, it’s a prosthetic to replace any missing teeth. Implants consist of a metal screw that is attached to your jaw and then a prosthetic is attached to that metal post. There are a whole host of options when it comes to dental implants. With advances in technology the procedures are always improving, we’ll keep you informed about which option is best for you.
Who are they good for?
At first glance dental implants seem like the ideal solution for anyone who needs to replace a missing tooth, but it must be noted that candidates are required to have good dental health and healthy jaw for the implant to be successful. Your dentist will first do checks on your jaw to see if it’s a good height, strong and in good health. Your jaw is a key part of the procedure because that’s what the implant will be secured to and it must be able to take the pressure put on it by a prosthetic. The next check will be to identify if you have any gum disease, otherwise called periodontal disease. If you have periodontal disease it can cause difficult complications in the future, plus the implant may simply be rejected by your mouth.
What’s the process?
Not all dental implant procedures are the same, the number of teeth that are being replaced will determine how the process goes. A lot of people are just having one tooth replaced, the process for a single tooth is very simple indeed – your dentist will attach an implant and then a crown to finish off the process. If you need to replace several of your teeth then the process will, of course, be a little more complicated but will still have the same fantastic results. The procedure is very similar to the one mentioned above (attaching the implant and crown), but with more implants comes the need for more planning to make sure that the implants are a success. Whatever you need in terms of implants our professional team of specialists is here to help and make sure you achieve your goals. Get in contact with us to chat over all your options and to get more details about the procedure for you.
Caring for dental implants
Caring for your implants after the procedure is equally as important as your preparation and the actual procedure. One big thing to note is that you should definitely not smoke – this is one mistake that many patients make and it can have a negative impact. If you do smoke then there are two things to remember, do not smoke for two weeks before the surgery and for at least two months is the procedure has been completed. Following these rules will give you the best chance of your jaw accepting the implant and making sure they are as effective as possible. Your dentist will give you a list of instructions that you must follow carefully. Also, drink plenty of water, take the medicine given to you and maintain an outstanding level of oral hygiene.
The pros and cons
As with any form of surgery, there are some risks, but there are a huge number of great things to like about implants. Your dentist will access you before any surgery to highlight any risk involved, the key thing to note is that they will not undertake the surgery if the risks are too high.
Despite some risks, implants come with a plethora of benefits for patients and consistently make lives better after the surgery has been completed. The biggest benefit is that people who have missing teeth will have the gap filled. It is important to fill any gap in your mouth because it can be the cause of infection, but the major thing it avoids is the jawbone receding. For a long time, bridges were seen as a good solution, and whilst they can stop the teeth from moving, they offer no remedy in preserving the bone where the tooth was lost. Dental implants are ideal because they will preserve the bone and at the same time offer the most aesthetically pleasing replacement for missing teeth.
We have many patients who are missing a front tooth. When people lose a front tooth they also lose a lot of fo confidence and become very insecure. Once we replace their missing tooth with a dental implant their self-confidence increase, they smile more and many have told us it has been completely life-changing.
Our team of specialists is at your disposal to chat with your more about dental implants, help you understand more, and go through the list of options. We highly recommend dental implants for replacing your missing teeth. So give us a call to see how we can help and give you that much-needed confidence boost.