For those with just a few teeth to replace or even those who want better teeth without getting dentures, dental implants are a great choice. Dental implants are artificial teeth that are used to replace missing teeth. It is used as part of cosmetic dentistry. Teeth can be lost due to aging, trauma or poor oral hygiene. Having a missing tooth can make an individual self conscious about smiling or talking. The advantage of dental implants is that they are stronger, more durable and longer lasting than older methods like bridges. Dental implants provide, in fact, better teeth than the original in many cases. The dentist needs to see if the patient qualifies for implant surgery and looks at the gums and bone to decide if they can accept the dental implants.

Dental implants in today’s times are virtually indistinguishable from other teeth. They are usually placed in a single sitting but require a period of osseointegration which is the process by which the dental implant root and the bone of the jaw integrate. It takes anywhere from three to six months to anchor the teeth to the jaw at which time the dentist can complete the dental implant procedure. Once the dental implants are anchored to the jaw bone, an artificial prosthesis may be attached and the process is finished.   The dental implants will fail if osseointegration does not occur. Although the process may seem long, it provides you with better teeth to last you a lifetime.

The implants are commonly composed of titanium material screws and partial crowns. A small pilot hole is drilled in the jaw sits in order to guide the titanium screw that will hold the implant in place. The dentist must employ great skill and expertise when boring the pilot hole in order to avoid damaging the nerves and vessels in the jaw bones themselves. The hole is slowly widened to allow for the screw placement. After the dental implant screw is placed, a protective cover screw is placed over it to heal the site and to allow the dental implants to anchor. After several months, the protective screw is removed and a temporary crown is placed on top of the implant. The temporary crown allows the gums to grow around the implant in a natural way. Eventually the temporary crown is replaced with a permanent crown.

The total costs of a dental implant is about £700-£1500 per implant but the complete cost can range up to ten times that much depending on the condition of the jaw and anaesthesia costs. Dentists in implantation surgery are accredited under the General Dental Council that covers all of the dental specialists in the UK. All GDC members must take at least 250 hours of Continuing Professional Development to retain their place on the Dentists Register.  

 

Cosmetic Surgery > Cosmetic Dentistry