Initial Consultation
Your initial consultation appointment will involve an initial discussion with Nami. During this appointment he will be able to discuss your treatment needs and the options available to you to replace your missing or failing teeth. This will be carried out with you in mind in an attempt to offer you the best possible outcome.
Your examination will be thorough and involve an assessment of your teeth and gums. It is important to make sure you are dentally fit and able to maintain the health of your implant. We may also need to take supplementary x-rays and impressions of your teeth in order to best plan your treatment. A report will then be sent to both you and your referring dentist. It is advisable to read through these before commencing treatment and if any questions remain you can contact me to discuss.
Implant Placement
We may initially require a review visit to further discuss your treatment with you, however, at this stage we can usually proceed to placing the implant for you. This is a minor surgical procedure involving the placement of a titanium implant, which forms a replacement of your tooth root. I use only the highest quality dental implants and this will form a strong base for your new tooth. The procedure typically results in only mild discomfort after the local anaesthetic has worn off.
Your examination will be thorough and involve an assessment of your teeth and gums. It is important to make sure you are dentally fit and able to maintain the health of your implant. We may also need to take supplementary x-rays and impressions of your teeth in order to best plan your treatment. A report will then be sent to both you and your referring dentist. It is advisable to read through these before commencing treatment and if any questions remain you can contact me to discuss.
Implant Integration
Following the placement of the implant we typically leave the implant to fully integrate for about three months. A temporary crown can be constructed at the same time and the implant loaded. I will discuss with you whether this is advisable in your case.
Implant crown or bridge construction
Once the implant or implants have fused we can then build the crown (or if more than one implant a bridge) on top. This will be carried out by our highly skilled dental laboratory, which is made to an accurate mold of your implant. At this stage your mouth will be restored with natural looking, stable and strong teeth.
Single tooth Implant
This is a situation where you have a single missing tooth, which is replaced by an implant and a crown. The alternative options are to wear a removeable denture (which as its name suggests is not fixed in place) or a bridge (which requires the filing down of your adjacent teeth).
The treatment aims to recreate the shape and shade of your tooth before it was lost. An example is given below:
Multiple Teeth implants
When more than one of your teeth is missing, it is not necessary to replace each missing tooth with a single implant. Instead, we have the option of placing a number of implants and bridging across these. This provides a secure and stable way to restore your missing teeth and is much more economical. An example of this is provided below:
Frequently all of your teeth may be missing either on the upper jaw, lower jaw or both. In situations like these, implants can provide very good solutions for their replacement. The main complaint of patients with complete dentures (false teeth) is that they can be uncomfortable, loose and prove difficult to effectively chew with.
In these cases there are two possibilities; the first is placing either four implants in the upper jaw or two in the lower jaw to retain the dentures. This means that the dentures can have minimal coverage as they are retained by the implants. In situations like this the dentures are very stable and secure however they are still removable (you are able to take them out and place them in when you wish).
If you wish the implants can be used to fix into place full arch bridges. These are fixed in position and span the length of your jaw, or as far back as you would like them to go.
Implant retained dentures can provide a more economical alternative to replacing you’re your missing teeth and can be very effective, especially in the lower jaw.
In this form of treatment, a reduced number of implants (two in the lower jaw and four in the upper) will be placed to retain complete dentures. The implants are fitted with retaining components, which click into an attachment mechanism placed in your dentures. This device can be easily removed and cleaned by you when necessary but remains tight and secure when in place.
