Dental Implants


Dental implant placement combines delicate minor surgery and modern dental techniques to replace badly broken teeth, a single missing tooth, a group of teeth or all teeth. The roots of missing teeth are replaced with a special screw or cylinder (dental implant), and a crown is later connected to the implant. Dental implants look, work and feel like natural teeth and can be used in adults, regardless of age and medical history.

Benefits of dental implants

Millions of people worldwide have dental implants. They are the natural choice where teeth are missing, require extensive restoration, or need to be removed. In some situations implants are the only viable option – such as when conventional dentistry has failed, or the patient has lost teeth because of an accident or cancer surgery. Quite simply, dental implants are the next best thing to natural teeth.

What about other kinds of tooth replacement?

Even the best fitting denture can only function at 15 to 20% of the efficiency of natural teeth. The other alternatives, such as bridges, have serious shortcomings, as adjacent teeth need to be cut down for support. Dental implants are free standing and do not require adjacent teeth for support. What’s more, implants stimulate the bone and gums to remain healthy.

What is involved with implant management?

The implant placement involves only minimal discomfort for a day or two. In some situations where a tooth has to be removed, it can usually be immediately replaced with an implant. In other situations it may be several weeks before the implant can be placed. In the meantime temporary prostheses can be used until the implant is placed and fuses to the bone.

Success rates of implants

Dental implants have been highly successful for over 20 years. In the unlikely event of failure, removal is a fairly simple process, rather like removing a loose tooth. After a time of healing, a new implant is put in place.

Can there be problems with implants?

It may sometimes be difficult to match the surrounding gum contours, or the height of the adjacent teeth.