astra tech dental implantsImplants

Teeth can be lost as a result of trauma, decay, gum disease or old age. Whether you need to have one or several teeth replaced, or require support for a full denture, dental implants are the modern, effective and long-term solution.

What are the benefits of implants?

  • Dental implants are both aesthetic and functional; they look and feel like your own natural teeth, allowing you to smile and eat with comfort and confidence.
  • When a tooth is lost, the bones and gums around the area will shrink, causing the lips and cheeks to collapse inwards. Dental implants replace the root and prevent bone loss because the bone locks on to the implant.
  • Implants need to be cleaned just like your natural teeth but they are easier to look after than bridges.
  • Traditional bridges are fitted by grinding down the adjacent, healthy teeth and this may cause long term damage to them. Bridges supported by dental implants do not rely on neighbouring teeth for support.
  • Dentures can be uncomfortable and often feel insecure. Dental implants can hold dentures securely in place without the need for pastes and adhesives.
  • Dental implants have been in use for over thirty years, and can last a lifetime.

How do implants work?

The implant consists of a small screw or cylinder made of high quality surgically pure titanium. A small hole is carefully drilled into the jawbone and the implant is inserted. Over the next two to four months, the implant heals and integrates, with new bone cells growing over the surface of the titanium and ‘locking’ it into place – a process known as ‘osseointegration’. When the implant is strong enough, a crown, bridge or denture is fixed to the top. The implant behaves like a new tooth root in the jaw.

  • A single tooth can be replaced by one implant with a crown fixed to the top.
  • If you are missing several teeth, each tooth can be replaced by an implant and crown, or, more usually, two or more implants can be used to fix a bridge.
  • If you are missing all of your teeth, a number of implants can be used to fix a full bridge, or implants can be used to securely hold a removable denture.

Implant Case Study – Sports Accident Restoration

This young female patient had lost a front tooth as a result of a sports accident. The problem was further compounded by poor quality surgery for the extraction. The result was significant bone loss and a tissue defect causing serious aesthetic problems. (There was hardly any bone or gum and this would have meant a very long, unsightly tooth). She came to us hoping for a miracle!

This was a complex and demanding case but it was successfully treated over fourteen months with a block bone graft, tissue plastic surgery, and implant plus crown. She was delighted and now has her lovely smile back again.


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