Over the past few years there has been a large increase in the number of people turning to dental implants to fill gaps caused by missing teeth. Dental implants are used to support one of more false teeth; this could be in the form of a crown, a bridge or dentures.
The team at Maidstone Dental and Implant Centre, cosmetic dentists in Maidstone have been placing dental implants on patients for a number of years and have hundreds of happy clients who have been able to regain their smile. Dental implants are a safe and well-established treatment and are currently the closest possible replacement to having your own teeth back again. Provided they are looked after, dental implants provide a long term solution and should last for many years.
Treatment
Prior to any treatment you will need to attend for a consultation appointment. At this appointment, the dentist will perform a full examination of your mouth and take x-rays to assess the level of bone present in your jaw. If you do not have enough bone or the bone is not healthy enough it may not be possible to proceed with dental implants without first having a bone graft.
Most dental implant surgery is complete under local anaesthetic; this means that you will be awake and aware of what is going on during treatment. If you are very nervous the dentist may prescribe a mild sedative to help keep you calm during your appointment. Placing a dental implant is often easier than taking the tooth out was initially. You may experience some discomfort in the week following surgery, but this should be easily managed with over the counter pain killers.
It will normally take 3-4 months from the placement of the screw into your jaw for the dentist to be able to start the restoration. This ensures the bone has time to heal fully around the titanium screw securing it in place.
Once the site has healed fully the dentist will be able to form the crown, a bridge or dentures to fit over the screw and fill any gaps. It is not always necessary to have one dental implant for every missing tooth, your dentist will be able to advise on the ideal placement of any dental implants to give the best retention for any restoration. Once in place the restorations will match closely the natural colour of your teeth so no-one will know that you have missing teeth.
Aftercare
Looking after your dental implants should be no more difficult than looking after your natural teeth. However, the dentist may advise that you attend for more regular hygienist appointments to ensure that the dental implants stay free of plaque and calculus build up.
If you do not care for your dental implants properly there is a risk of developing gum disease can affect the stability of the dental implant and in the long term if left untreated can cause the dental implant to fail.
At Maidstone Dental and Implant Centre we are able to offer high quality dental implants with our specialist Dental Implant and Oral Surgery Team.
Call us on 01622 682 029 to book in for a dental implant consultation today and start your journey to your ideal smile.
