Dental Implants – Strong and Secure Replacement of Lost Teeth

Dental implant treatment at our Canterbury practice can make big improvements to your life.

If you have some of your natural teeth missing, there will no doubt be times e.g. whilst eating and smiling, when you probably wish that you still had a full set of teeth. Certain foods can be difficult to chew and you may even cause damage to other teeth by transferring the chewing action to other parts of the mouth where the teeth are less suitable.

Similarly, if you already wear dentures to replace your missing teeth, you will probably be aware that chewing some foods is problematic, especially if the dentures are not as stable as they could be.

The end result of these problems is that many people with missing teeth, or who wear dentures, often choose to avoid difficult to chew foods and switch to easier to eat softer foods instead. It doesn’t have to be this way though and having a tooth implant placed at Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic can make a real difference to your life.

Stability

One of the biggest advantages that dental implants have over dentures is that they won’t move around in the mouth as dentures sometimes do. When this occurs, it  makes chewing food more difficult and can cause friction between the dentures and the gums, often leading to soreness and discomfort.

Healthy dental implants will not move in the mouth at all. This is because they don’t sit on the gums as dentures do, but instead, replace the natural tooth entirely, not just the crown but the root of the tooth as well, thereby ensuring its stability.

The initial implant placement

The key component is the implant itself which is a sophisticated ‘screw like’ object made from titanium. It is this part that is, in effect, the replacement tooth root onto which a crown is eventually attached. During a detailed procedure, the implant is placed into the jawbone and then allowed to fuse with the bone, a period that usually takes around 3 months. Initially, following this placement, you will need to avoid any stress on the implant and follow special cleaning instructions given to you by our Canterbury implant dentist.

You will also need to adjust your diet to avoid harder foods until the implant is securely integrated with the jaw bone. Although this may sound inconvenient, a bit of pre-planning can make this a more acceptable and pleasant experience. Implants can last for over twenty years and so a little incinvenience at the start is well worth it!

Is the implant procedure very painful?

First of all, it has to be acknowledged that placing a tooth implant is a complex procedure and one that often takes longer than most treatments. Having said that, you shouldn’t feel any genuine pain during your procedures although you may experience certain sensations when the implant is being placed. Thanks to the modern anaesthetics, you should be able to have this treatment feeling no more discomfort than with most other dental treatments.

Long lasting stability

While dentures sometimes have a tendency to become loose and unstable in the mouth over time as bone loss causes facial shape changes that can cause this, it shouldn’t happen with dental implants. Because they are placed into the bone, essentially replacing the natural tooth root, no bone loss should occur.

Maintaining healthy implants does depend on good personal aftercare. Failure to do so can result in periodontitis or peri-implantitis which can cause the implant to become unstable and potentially fail. Keeping an implant clean is not that difficult and just requires good quality brushing and flossing as well as hygienist and dentist visits every six months to help maintain a healthy mouth. If you do this, your implants can remain strong and healthy for many years.

If you would like more information about what implant placement at our  practice involves, we are always happy to arrange for you to have a consultation with a dentist to discuss this and your suitability for the procedure. Simply call Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic on 01227 463529 and we will arrange a mutually convenient appointment for you.