Dental Implants

Dental implants look, feel and work like natural teeth, and that’s because the jawbone grows around them so, in effect, the body treats them like natural teeth. They represent the best possible solution to tooth loss because once they have been fitted they should behave like natural teeth and, as long as they are looked after, last just as long.

Patients are usually recommended dental implants when they have suffered multiple tooth loss, as part of a full or partial mouth rehabilitation.

The procedure usually involves two stages, a surgical and a prosthetic phase. The surgical phase inserts the implant into the jawbone under local anaesthetic or light sedation. A period of three to six months is required to allow the implants to fully integrate with the surrounding bone, before the artificial teeth are fitted. During this period a temporary restoration may be fitted until the implants are able to support the permanent artificial teeth.

Dental implants can stand alone in the mouth to fill a gap or may be used as anchor points to hold bridges in place. They are designed to be permanent, feeling and working like natural teeth, and the survival rate of implants over the past 40 years is above 95 per cent.