Dental Implants

A dental implant is a restorative dental treatment to replace missing teeth.

An implant will be placed into the jawbone to act as the root of the tooth for the crown or denture used to close the gap.

An implant can be used to support one missing tooth or multiple teeth, depending on the position in the mouth.

Implants are made from inert medical titanium. Titanium being a member of the metal family means that dental implants are very strong and durable.

Dental implants have been around for 45 years and show excellent longevity.

The longevity of your implant will depend on how well you keep up your oral health regime at home as well regularly attending your dental appointments.

There will be 3 appointments needed to fit your implant which can take up to 4 months to complete. The first appointment will be an exam to assess the implant site, the second will be to place the implant and the third to place the crown, bridge or denture.

At Dental & Skin we advise that you come in for an exam, where we can assess your situation and then provide you with an accurate time scale for treatment.

After treatment the bone in your jaw will need to fuse to the implant.

The time frame for this process varies from patient to patient, and can take up to a few months. Some implants are strong enough when placed, for the crown or bridge to be fitted sooner.

Having an implant requires a patient to be thorough in their oral health care regime. At Dental & Skin we will give you detailed advice on how to clean the hard to reach areas, as well as booking you in for your next hygiene treatment to maintain results.

To place your implant a local anaesthetic will be used, and during treatment you will not feel any pain. A general anaesthetic is used only in complicated and rare cases.

For a week or so after treatment you may feel some discomfort, as you would with an extraction, this is normal and nothing to worry about.

Dental implants are the fastest growing dental treatment in the world, and in the UK we find various dental implant brands.

At Dental & Skin we only use brands that have shown long term success. A few examples are the brands below.

Straumann

Advantages

The Straumann system is one of the most well-researched and invested in implantology system. The manufacturing process is of the highest quality with systematic checks. This system is available at both bone and tissue level and produces excellent healing results.

Disadvantages

Where this system excels in quality it lacks in aesthetics and is met with a high cost.

Nobel Biocare

Advantages

The Nobel Biocare system has the ability to treat all implantology cases with its predictable outcomes, and scientifically backed evidence. This system has a colour coded system and tapered design to produce excellent aesthetic results. Nobel Biocare is versatile and flexible, making it a popular choice on the dental market.

Disadvantages
This system may not be suitable for patients who require a larger implant, to fit a bigger implant with Nobel Biocare your implantologist will need to over prepare.

Ankylos

Advantages

The Ankylos system is a simple and flexible system, with interchangeable components backed by 20 years of dental history. This system has a low cost, with abutments in different diameters.

Disadvantages

The Ankylos system is not suitable for patients who require a larger implant.

BioHorizon

Advantages

The BioHorizon system is a popular system on the dental market for their implant survival rate of 99.2%. This system is highly flexible, and patients who opt for this system experience a good contact between their bone and implant. This means that patients are less likely to experience bone loss with this system.

Osstem

Advantages

The Osstem system strives to meet client satisfaction by improving their impression materials, x-rays and unit and chair. This system is a good choice for patients who have a weaker bone and require extra support.

If a patient requires more bone, a bone graft is an option. A bone graft will be needed when a patient does not have enough bone around the root of their tooth to support the implant. This loss of bone usually occurs due to decay and disease.

There are different types of bone graft:

Natural Bone Graft – This bone graft requires two operations, one to take the bone (usually from the hip) and the other to place the bone. Due to this graft being from one’s own body, it is highly successful and the patient is at less risk of disease.
Synthetic Bone Graft – This type of bone graft likewise to natural carries no risk of disease transfer, however differs in that it only requires only one procedure. This graft is made from synthetic materials to replicate that of the natural bone. This synthetic material does run the risk of being weakened due to the surgical procedure.

Donated Bone Graft – This type of bone graft is taken from cadavers. A donated bone graft goes through a thorough testing process to eliminate the risk of disease transfer and rejection. This graft is a good option for patients who do not wish to take bone from their own body.

At our Islington clinic, we offer patients fast appointments with our implantologist.

We only use implant systems which are backed by extensive research and successful results.

We believe in achieving optimum results in terms of design, comfortability and aesthetics. We present our patients with their options, and advice based on patient needs.

At Dental & Skin we offer patients evening appointments and review appointments to check how well you are getting on.