What You Need To Know
All you need to know about your planned Dental Implant Treatment
Your Treatment Journey
Placing the Implant
Prior to embarking on your Implant journey:
We will individually assess your teeth and gums and make sure any problems we uncover are treated.
We then place one or more implants in the region where your tooth used to be with a very straightforward procedure and planned process.
After we allow your surrounding bone to grow onto the implant (over 8-10 weeks to become a part of the bone – a process called Osseointegration).
We then have you come in for 2 straightforward visits to take impressions or digital scan required to fabricate and fit your individualised final restoration tooth for your implant.
Typically, if you damaged tooth is still there, we will need to remove it and either allow your jawbone to heal before any work is carried out, or we may be able to remove the tooth and place your implant on the same day. On some occasions there may also be the need for bone grafting.
What is Bone Grafting?
On occasion, there may be insufficient bone in the area where we are planning to place your implant. This may be due to loss of the tooth some time ago, a difficult extraction, or infection in this area which has resulted in bone loss.
It is essential that the implant is surrounded in bone to ensure a long-term success, and there may be the requirement for additional bone to ensure that we achieve osseointegration (the process when your bone grows onto the implant and becomes part of your jawbone). There are several options and types of bone we can use, in more cases we recommend bone of bovine origin, however, there are other alternatives such as synthetic bone or cadaver bone. Your dentist will explain this simple process if it is thought that this may be necessary.
There is an additional cost for this procedure if required. You will be provided with full details on your personalised treatment plan.
After Dental Implants Have Been Placed
If you keep your implants clean and attend regular check-ups, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t last for years, restoring your confidence and chewing ability for life.
Initially, you must commit to a series of regular maintenance visits with us for hygiene and healing check purposes. Moreover, just as with natural teeth, brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash are essential for good oral hygiene.
Healing Process
The healing is usually very straightforward with minimal discomfort. The stitches are generally removed around ten days after surgery. Based on your medical circumstances, we will assess how much time will be required for healing, which may vary from six to ten weeks.
Healing times will be different for each patient. Your recovery time will depend on your individual case and treatment plan.
Some possible side effects could be:
- Minor bleeding
- Swelling of the gum and face
- Pain at the implant area
After the surgery you should expect to have to adjust your diet to eat soft food for a few weeks to allow the proper healing to take place so you can return to normal life and enjoy life to the fullest.
Long-term care
Once your new implants and the surrounding gum have healed, and your replacement teeth have been fitted, remember to keep your teeth and gums healthy; brush twice daily, floss and visit us for your dental hygiene appointments regularly.
Dental implant success
Our patients have always been surprised with how straightforward and painless the whole process is. If you require any further information, please call us on 03333050886 or fill our form below and a team member will be in touch to arrange an appointment.