Dental implants service

How do dental implants work?

In order to fully understand how dental implants work it is important to appreciate the way in which healing takes place. When a tooth is taken out it leaves quite a relatively large hole in the gum and bone which eventually fills up with a blood clot. Within two months the hole in the jaw is covered with gum tissue, and slowly over the next six months the bone fills the hole completely. The healing of the dental implants depends on this natural process.

Dental implants require a small operation to be inserted. The gum is lifted slightly and a small hole is made in the bone using specially cooled drills often made from titanium. The titanium dental implants are placed and the gum is put back in place - very much like the lid in a box.

First stage of the dental implants treatment

The dental implants abutment is actually a vital part of your new tooth. Without it the crown would not have a firm support. The dental implants abutment is connecting your crown to the dental implants.

Over the next three to six months

The dental implants lies under the gum and heals in a closed environment. The patient carries on functioning normally throughout the six-month period, unaware of the dental implants that has been inserted. Denture wearers can continue to wear their dentures throughout this period of time. Or, in some cases where few teeth have been removed and other teeth are present, it is possible to construct a fixed temporary bridge to enable the patient to function. In either case there is no interruption to the patient's lifestyle.

The second stage of the dental implants treatment

Once the three to six months period is over, involves lifting the gum and attaching a post to the dental implants. It is at this stage that the post attached to the dental implants emerges from the gum. A temporary crown is made to fit onto the post - so there is absolutely no need to be without teeth at any point. Preparation for the final restoration can be started a month later when the gum has matured.

Why replace missing teeth with dental implants?

When any part of the body is put out of use, it tends to wither away. If we take a tooth away, the gum will start to shrink and then underneath, the bone that used to support the tooth, will find itself with no reason to stay and will also start to shrink away.

And there are some factors that will actually speed up the bone loss process. One of these is the use of dentures when you clench; dentures squeeze the blood out of the gum. This reduces the blood supplying the bone and causes accelerated shrinkage. In addition, teeth that are associated with infection may result in faster loss of bone. This is why diseased teeth should be removed as soon as possible, to ensure that bone is not lost.

How to replace a single tooth with a dental implants?

A single missing tooth in the back or in the front could be replaced in a number of ways.

• Removable partial denture: The main disadvantage with this method is that it is removable and may come away unexpectedly. It can cause further gum disease or tooth decay if not maintained correctly.
• Stick on bridges: These are secured by bonding to the adjacent teeth on either side and are effective at replacing a missing tooth. Unfortunately, the can fall off and often don't last indefinitely, especially when there is a strong bite.
• Conventional Bridges: This is a reasonable predictable procedure, but normally requires the cutting down of healthy tooth-enamel on either side of the gab in order to support the bridge. For many people this is a major disadvantage because it involves destroying healthy tooth tissue.
• Dental implants: Dental implants replaces a missing tooth and is an independent restoration. It has the advantage that it stimulates bone to stay and get stronger. This is something that will not happen with any other option. For this and many other reasons, dental implants have become the first choice for tooth replacement for many people. Appearance, particularly at the front of the mouth, is very important and through the use of dental implants, it is possible to produce an artificial tooth that looks very natural and at the same time to create gum contours that are very similar to those of adjacent teeth.