Dental Implants

Dental implants are titanium based ‘screws’ which are placed in to your jawbone. They are then used to support crowns, bridges or dentures to replace missing teeth. Widely used throughout the world for decades the UK is beginning to catch up with the provision of dental implants.

They are used in several circumstances, and can be used to replace anything from a single missing tooth to helping support a full denture. They are considered the gold standard for replacing missing teeth. For patients missing all of their lower teeth an implant retained lower denture is the minimum standard of care which should be offered.

The procedure for receiving a dental implant is reasonably straight forward however it does involve several steps. An initial planning stage includes studying radiographs and casts of your mouth in order to decide where best to place the titanium screw. When the implant is being placed a small surgical procedure is carried out where the gum is peeled back and the implant placed in to a prepared hole made in the jawbone. Once the implant has fully integrated with your jawbone it can be exposed and the crown/bridge/denture made to fit on to it.

Despite being a fantastic way of replacing missing teeth dental implants are still not used as often as they should be. Some people are unsuitable for implant placement and due to their considerable expense many people cannot afford dental implants.