Dental Implants London

Dental Implants - An Overview

Unfortunately not everyone is blessed with beautiful and healthy teeth. Teeth loss may occur due to a variety of factors, such as tooth decay, root canal failure, congenital defects, trauma, periodontitis, excessive wear and tear, and injury. Removable dentures are the most common and inexpensive form of teeth restoration. But these dentures are generally uncomfortable and inconvenient to wear. With advancements in cosmetic dentistry, you no longer have to hide your missing teeth behind cumbersome dentures. Dental implants are a great option to replace missing teeth.

What are dental implants?

A dental implant is nothing but a titanium metal rod placed into the jawbone. This rod is used to support one or more false teeth. The false teeth and their supporting rods are together known as implants. Dental implants can be done to replace a single tooth or all teeth.

Procedure

Dental implants are surgically placed in the mouth by your dentist or oral surgeon. The surgery is carried out under local anaesthesia or general anaesthesia. Dental implants are ideal for people in good oral health, but who have lost a tooth or two due to periodontal disease or any other cause. The dental implant rod is drilled into a hole made in the jaw bone. Once the titanium rod is placed, it takes some time to integrate with the jaw bone. Once the dental implant rod has fused with the bone, a dental implant post is screwed into and connected to the top of the dental implant rod. An impression of the dental implant post is taken and an appropriate dental crown is designed at the dental laboratory. The final step of the procedure involves fitting the artificial dental crown on to the dental implant post.

Duration

The actual treatment period differs from individual to individual. Normally, it takes three to six months from initial assessment to the time when the artificial teeth or dentures are actually attached to the implants. If only the lower jaw is treated, then the entire procedure is over in five months.

Advantages

There are many long term benefits of dental implants. Most importantly, dental implants will successfully replace one or more teeth without affecting the bordering teeth and will help you improve or maintain a beautiful smile.