Dental implants can change your life
Loss of a tooth, especially a front tooth, can be a very upsetting experience. Losing one or more teeth can affect the way we look, the way we eat and speak. It can play havoc with our self worth and so affect us at work and at play.
Missing teeth may be replaced by dental implants which have two parts, a root part and a crown part. The root part of Implants are made of titanium or titanium alloy and replace the root of your missing tooth or teeth. Titanium is readily accepted by the human body. Implants form an anchor for an implant crown which is custom made to look like your own tooth or teeth. Multiple implants can support an implant bridge or an All-on-4.TM
Benefits of dental implants
- Say goodbye to wearing full or part dentures.
- Avoid having teeth either side of a gap, crowned for a conventional bridge, implant supported crowns and bridges feel like your own natural teeth. You will be able to eat that red delicious apple without worrying.
- When you lose teeth, you also lose bone, implants preserve the jaw bone and stop your lower face from collapsing.
- If you already wear dentures, implants can be placed in your upper and lower jaw and new dentures attached to the implants. This means that your dentures will no longer move around when eating or speaking. This increases your pleasure in eating and in social situations.
- Implants are placed into the jaw bone surgically. This can be done under local anaesthetic , general anaesthetic or intravenous sedation.
- The implants are often left to integrate with bone which means that the bone grows around the implant making it very secure.
- This process takes from three to six months and daily life continues as normal.
- After integration an implant crown can be attached. If several implants are placed, a bridge can be immediately attached giving so called “instant teeth”. Whilst the implant is integrating, you may wear a temporary denture or have a temporary crown.
Implant crown or bridge
There may be a second minor procedure to uncover the implant or implants and then an impression taken which is sent to a ceramist for a crown or a bridge to be fabricated. The crown or bridge is fixed onto the root part of the implant.
Implants need to be taken care of as do your own teeth.
- Three or six monthly Hygiene visits for maintenance are recommended .
- Daily oral hygiene measures at home are essential.
- Excessive force on implant teeth can be detrimental to their success and so Dr Kemm will check the ”bite” each time you come in.