Dental Implants – Frequently Asked Questions
I’m am I a suitable applicant for implants?
If you are missing some teeth as a result of an accident, teeth cavities or gum disease, then you can often be suitable for dental implants. Dental implants allow you to smile, speak, and eat with comfort.
Pertaining to surgery, you should always be of general good health as well as ensure that your teeth are also fit and healthy and without cavities or gum disease. Other dental problems have to be handled before surgical procedures to ensure that the whole treatment is not compromised.
We often like to offer a CT scan to ensure that you do indeed have enough bone of the correct quality and location for the placement of your dental implants in our London practice.
Why would I want dental implants?
When one of your existing teeth is lost it starts off a series of events that may compromise not only the way your teeth bite together but your overall dental anaesthetics.
The obvious effect can result in a gap in your smile. Significantly less evident is a reduction in biting capability, along with the lack of ability to enjoy a full and healthy diet program due to an inability to chew.
These are to remain visible problems with losing teeth, however, there is also an invisible problem that can cause long-term difficulties: and that is bone loss.
Your bone in the draw requires stimulation from the chewing process to keep it strong and dense, if this chewing process is reduced due to missing teeth then the bone does not receive this strong stimulation that it needs.
In much the same way that the muscles tend to contract and reduce if they are not used, for example, if you have a broken arm and have to have it in a splint for a while.
This bone loss can result in further tooth loss and the facial muscles sinking inwards, this sinking has a tendency to create lines and wrinkles around the face, making you look older.
What are the dental implants made of that you use in your London practice?
Our dental implants in St John’s Wood are produced from surgical-grade titanium, a totally biocompatible material. This type of dental implants has been used for many years and has a very high success rate. The amazing thing is that your body does not recognise the titanium as any form of foreign object, and therefore does not reject it. This leads to full integration of the titanium implant into the bone of your jaw.
Suppose I smoke cigarettes?
If you smoke then this can have a detrimental effect on the healing of the gums and bone after you have dental implants placed.
Also, even after the healing phase has passed dental implants are more likely to fail in people who smoke. Ironically the people who lose their teeth most often tend to be smokers, it is these people who would benefit most from implants, however, the smoking means that implants are not successful. So perhaps now is the time to give up!
How long do dental implants take?
Depending on how many implants you are having, a dental implant can be placed in a couple of hours. After this, there is normally a 2 to the 3-week healing process and then after that a further 3 to 6 months to wait for the implants to fully integrate into the bone. After this period the new tooth can be placed on top of the dental implant.
If you have a list denture then the timescales above are very similar. See procedure.
How long does a dental implant last?
If your body accepts the implant, it should last many years if cared for properly. Many implants have been in place for more than 40 years.
Our team of dentists in St John’s Wood, London work together to help provide the highest quality dental implants for the local patients. If you have missing teeth or indeed loose dentures then please do give us a call to discuss how you can have them replaced.
For more information on our smile makeover treatment or the process, contact us on 020 7586 1210 or contact us here. At Smile More Dental Care, we look forward to welcoming you to our North London clinic soon.