Implants
All dentists now agree that dental implants provide the best long-term replacement for any missing or failing teeth, providing you the security and comfort you deserve.
Dental implants can replace a single tooth, several teeth or all of them and can also be used to anchor a bridge or dentures into place. If you need to have all of your teeth replaced, implant-supported dentures are ideal, providing more stability than traditional dentures and costing less than a complete set of single dental implants.
The implant preserves the position of the surrounding teeth, keeping your bite in its natural position and enabling you to smile, laugh, eat and chew with complete confidence.
The implant procedure is usually a three-step process requiring oral surgery. During the first step of dental treatment, a hole is drilled into the jawbone and a titanium implant is screwed into place. This portion of your dental implant treatment might sound painful, but most patients are comfortable with just local anaesthesia. At the end of the procedure, the gum is secured over the dental implant and will remain covered long enough for it to undergo the process of osseointegration, when the implant actually fuses to the bone. Osseointegration usually takes three to six months. As with any dental surgery, you may experience some mild discomfort as the dental implant heals.
The dental implant is uncovered during the second phase of treatment and a healing cap is screwed into the implant to ‘train’ the gum to heal in a certain way. At the third phase an impression of the post which fits into the implant is done. This serves as an extension and together with the dental implant serves as the foundation for your new crown or bridge. Since it is fixed to a post, your new crown or bridge is extremely secure and will function just like any other tooth.
