Losing your teeth can have a serious impact on your personal or professional life. The absence of teeth may present a functional obstacle (e.g. because you have difficulty chewing) or you may have trouble with the aesthetic side of it. Dental implants may be the solution for you.
A dental implant consists of a screw made of titanium (body-friendly material) that is inserted into the jawbone by the surgeon to replace the lost or pulled tooth root. The screw will grow into the jawbone (also called osseointegration) and your dentist can later place a dental crown or a prosthesis on top. Think of the implant as the foundation and the tooth or denture as the house on that foundation.
When a tooth is removed, the bone at the extraction site will slowly shrink. This is a completely normal and natural process. After all, when the bone is no longer loaded by a tooth, it loses its functionality and will start to resorb. This will make the jaw narrower but also lower. In time, your dentures will therefore fit less and less well, even if they were perfect to begin with.
When drawing up a treatment plan, we will first check whether you still have sufficient bone to be able to place an implant. This process usually requires a 3-dimensional scan. If sufficient bone is present, planning for the placement of implants can proceed. If there is still insufficient bone, the options for bone reconstruction will be discussed with you. You can find more information about this under 'jawbone reconstruction'.
Implants are usually placed under local anaesthetic and after consultation with your referring dentist. In most cases, the implants must first grow into place. The time required for this depends on various factors. Once the integration is complete, your dentist can start to make the bridge or prosthesis. Sometimes it is possible to have a temporary bridge made by your dentist immediately after the implants have been placed. However, whether this is possible must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
When drawing up your individualised treatment plan, there will always be extensive communication with your treating dentist so that the course of treatment is clear to everyone from the outset.
