Dental Implants
Losing one or more teeth has several adverse effects on your dental health. It also impacts your quality of life and self-confidence. If you’ve lost a tooth, you can get dental treatment for the missing tooth to preserve your dental health.
Different dental solutions such as dental implants can help replace your missing teeth. The replaced tooth will look and feel like your natural teeth and restore your dental function. At Tunbridge Well Dental care, we provide different dental implants, including all-on-4 implants to replace a full arch of missing teeth.
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are artificial tooth roots made with titanium. They create a strong base for fitting custom-made prosthetic teeth like crowns and dentures. Dental implants are made with biocompatible titanium material.
When the dentist places the implant in your jaw, it fuses with your jawbone to create a permanent anchor for an artificial tooth. The fusion of the dental implant to your jawbone is known as osseointegration, and it usually takes about six months. After osseointegration, your dentist will place a dental restoration, depending on your need.
Dental implants are a safe and effective tooth replacement solution. They have undergone over 30 years of research and have improved over the years, with more advanced materials now available.
Dental implants procedure have a high success rate and can last as long as the natural teeth if you properly care for them and visit your dentist for regular check-ups and cleanings. If your jawbone remains healthy, your implants will safely remain in place, and your new smile will last for several decades.
Why you need dental implants
Dental implants restore your smile and improve your appearance. The implants give you a strong root to hold dental prosthetics that feel and look like your natural teeth. Dental implants placed in the jaw helps to replicate the function of a tooth root to prevent bone loss and facial sagging as you age.
The procedure has an over 95% success rate, which is higher than any teeth replacement procedure. It is arguably the best teeth replacement procedure.
Dental implants options
Different dental implant options are available, and your dentist will choose one based on your dental need. The available options include:
Single tooth replacement
This treatment option is the most straightforward. It involves the dentist fitting one dental implant and placing a custom crown afterwards.
Multiple tooth replacement
Your dentist may decide to fit two dental implants to support a dental bridge. The implants support your jawbone while concealing the gaps in your mouth when you smile. Implant-supported bridges do not require the dentist to file down your natural teeth to hold the crowns at each end, a procedure common with traditional bridges placement.
Full arch replacement
You can have a limited number of dental implants to replace a full arch of missing teeth on your lower or upper jaw instead of using dentures. With a full arch replacement, you won’t need to get implants to replace each missing tooth. This implant provides a longer-lasting and more stable solution than dentures.
Denture improvement
You may decide to secure your dentures in place using dental implants. The treatment is cost-effective, and you only need a few implants to hold the dentures permanently. With this implant option, you won’t experience constant gum irritation, and you can eat, speak and laugh without the fear of your dentures falling out.
All on 4 dental implants
All on 4 dental implants can improve your smile aesthetics in one day. This implant option is perfect for those who have lost all their teeth on the upper or lower arch. It involves fitting four implants in one appointment to give you fully functional and natural-looking teeth.
Before you get an all on 4 dental implants, you would undergo a thorough dental examination to assess your oral health and confirm that you are suitable for the procedure.
Maintaining your dental implants
It is important to know how to care for your dental implant to avoid implant failure and losing your dental restoration. The dental hygienist will advise you on ways to prevent oral disease and care for your teeth and implants. The dental care advice will also cover maintaining the restoration, keeping the bone and gums surrounding the implant healthy.
Following your dental hygienist’s care advice and attending your routine cleaning appointments will ensure your implants last for a long time.
Dental air abrasion
We offer our patients advanced air abrasion teeth cleaning. This cleaning technique uses a powerful aluminium oxide stream to lift stains on the teeth gently and prevent tooth decay. The procedure prepares the teeth for fitting implants and teeth whitening treatment, easily cleaning areas of the teeth normal cleaning wouldn’t work on.
If you want to replace a missing tooth, visit Tunbridge Wells Dental Care today or reach us on 01892 538078 or [email protected] to schedule a dental implant appointment.