Whether young or old, missing teeth can be an embarrassing and difficult problem for all people. Whether it was an accident, decay or simply old age that caused the teeth to fall out it can be a devastating thing to have to endure, but fortunately, with dental implants in Harley Street, patients can book a free consultation to see if they are able to undergo a surgery to replace any and all missing teeth so that they can get back living and enjoying their lives as soon as possible.
What are the implants?
A dental implant is a small titanium screw that is embedded directly into the jaw bone in the place of a tooth’s root, and there are two reasons why titanium is used. The first is that it is incredibly strong and human bone tissue loves to grow around and attach to this substance with ease. The second reason is that titanium is seldom rejected by the human body and therefore it is a prime choice for all medical procedures involving bone.
These implants are used to support crowns, bridges, or dentures. In the event of a single missing tooth, a crown is connected to an abutment which is connected to the implant. This crown looks exactly like the patient’s missing tooth and is a very convincing match to the surrounding teeth. If a few teeth are missing in a row, the dentist will have a bridge of teeth created for the patient, and this bridge is then attached to one or two implants that anchor it securely in place.
In the event that a patient wears dentures and is missing all of their teeth, there is an All-On-Four procedure where all the teeth can be secured to only 4 implants (two at the top and two at the bottom). Securing dentures make the life of those wearing them so much easier, giving them more confidence to laugh openly and eat whatever they like without the concern of the teeth falling out thus restoring a lot of self-esteem.
The final and most important benefit of dental implants (other than restoring the look and function of the teeth) is that it ensures a stable jaw bone for years to come. Once a tooth has come out, root and all, the jaw bone is no longer needed and the body begins to reabsorb it because it no longer has anything to cling to. But when a titanium implant is inserted into the jaw the bone can grow back thus stabilizing the bone for as long as the titanium is in there.
The procedure
Once a patient is cleared for implant surgery the area that is going to be worked on is numbed and in the case of anxious patients, they may also be sedated. Once the local anesthetic has taken effect, the dentist will cut open the gum to expose the bone and drill a small hole into this bone to insert the implant. Then the patient is stitched up once more and sent home with a temporary crown, bridge, or denture to await the healing process which takes about 6 months. After 6 months the implant dentist can then secure the false tooth or teeth to the implant and the patient can continue their life with confidence.
