What are dental implants?
A dental implant is a titanium
metal rod, which is placed into the jawbone. It is
used to support one or more false teeth. In practice,
both the false teeth and their supporting rod are
known as ‘implants’.
Are implants safe? How long will they last?
Implants are a well-established, tried-and-tested
treatment. 90 per cent of modern implants last for
at least 15 years.
Can implants always be used to replace missing teeth?
It depends on the state of
the bone in your jaw. Your dentist will arrange for
a number of special tests to assess the amount of
bone still there. If there is not enough, or if it
isn’t healthy enough,
it may not be possible to place implants without grafting
bone into the area first.
How long does treatment take?
Your dentist will be able to give you a provisional
timetable before the treatment begins.
Usually the permanent teeth are fitted 6 – 9
months after the implants are put in. Q. How soon can
I have the new teeth? A. The implants need to bond
(integrate) with the bone after they have been put
in. This takes at least 3 months in the lower jaw and
6 months in the upper jaw.
Sometimes the implants may be stable enough when they
are fitted for the artificial teeth to be attached
much sooner than this.
If you are having one, two or three teeth replaced,
you will have a temporary restoration in the meantime.
If you have complete dentures, then these can be worn
throughout the healing period once they have been modified
after the surgery.
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How
soon can I have the new teeth?
The implants need
to bond (integrate) with the bone after they have been
put in. This takes at least 3 months in the lower jaw
and 6 months in the upper jaw.
Sometimes the implants may be stable enough when they
are fitted for the artificial teeth to be attached
much sooner than this.
If you are having one, two or three teeth replaced,
you will have a temporary restoration in the meantime.
If you have complete dentures, then these can be worn
throughout the healing period once they have been modified
after the surgery.
Is the treatment
expensive?
Unfortunately, yes.
However, in many situations, the cost of the treatment
is only a little more than the cost of more conventional
treatment with crowns and bridges.
There are advantages to it, too. An implant to replace
a single tooth avoids the need to cut down the teeth
either side for crowns to support a bridge. Normal
dentures often mean you can’t eat or speak well,
due to the dentures moving about. But teeth attached
to an implant don’t cause this problem.
Courtesy of the British
Dental Health Foundation – www.dentalhealth.org
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