Implant Patient Journey

You are likely to come to us from one of 3 sources:

You have been referred to us by your regular dentist
You are a regular patient of Bradley and Partners and have been referred in-house
You have found out about us, either through personal recommendation or the Internet

Step 1 - First Contact

Tel 01227 811433 Firstly, please either pop in to speak to a member of staff or call our dedicated implant co-ordinator, Debbie Tyrell. Or, if you prefer, use our contact form and we will get in touch.

Step 2 - Initial Consultation CT scan / Xray

Your initial consultation will be either with Nadim Safdar or James Klebier. If it is felt at this stage that a laboratory opinion is required, you will also meet one or more of our technicians. At this visit, your views will be listened to and you will be assessed for dental implants. You will also be informed of your non-implant options.

A 3D CT scan will be taken (or an X-ray if 3D analysis is not required).

A diagnosis will then be made and discussed with you in full. You will also be informed of the cost (not an approximate cost but the actual cost in full). Once we have costed your treatment we never charge for ‘extras’, even though we are sometimes required to do a little more than anticipated eg augmentation of the bone or soft tissue. Your treatment plan and costing is an important document and is always sent to you in detail and in writing.

Step 3 - Implant Placement

This can vary from one single implant to a mouth full of dental implants. Usually, you will require only local anaesthesia ie numbing of the area.

Sometimes, if advanced, prolonged or complex treatment (eg multiple implants or complex grafting procedures) is required then we will additionally bring in the services of a fully qualified medical anaesthetist who will effectively provide the sedation. If you are sedated, an added benefit is that you will remember nothing of the procedure!

Some patients have provisional teeth attached to the implant(s) on the same day. Usually, this occurs if the tooth in question is visible when you smile or when you are being fitted with multiple implants and teeth.

Does it hurt afterwards? Surprisingly, the answer is NO. After implant placement, you will be placed on a course of antibiotics and mouth rinses, and take analgesics when required. The mouth heals very quickly although we keep a close and regular eye on the healing.

Step 4 - The making and fitting of your tooth or teeth

This is complex engineering process done in miniature! It usually begins with a 3D scan of the inside of your mouth which is then modelled by our on-site laboratory technicians and produced – initially by milling machine and then finished by a careful and skilled hand of a highly experienced dental technician. Once the teeth have been made, they are fitted to your implants.

Step 5 - Maintenance and aftercare

You will be required to regularly maintain and care for your teeth with your regular dentist. Not doing so would risk the complex and lovely teeth you now have and it would invalidate your guarantee from us.