There are many ways to combat the problem of tooth loss: dental bridges and partial dentures (even full dentures) get over the problem well, but they do have limitations built into them, namely, they have a sell by date, they aren’t permanent and at some point, you will have to have them replaced; there is an alternative though that will see you through until the day you die- the dental implant. This involves placing a small titanium rod into the jawbone in order to house a new tooth, or in fact, several teeth. It is a simple process, but once the implant has been fitted, the body has to adjust to this foreign invasion and the mouth needs time to recover and heal. However, this has improved over the years because of laser/computer technology, and some rather unique healing techniques, and so, it means you can have this done and be ready to roll in a day. An implant is very durable and free from the infection that a normal root of a tooth is prone to. Getting an implant fitted is now common practise throughout Bath, and the new technology employed has made it easy to do, hence, it has become affordable to everyone. If you’d like to know more about costs, how you can pay for the treatment and what a dental implant can do for you, then get in touch with the Clifton dental studio of Bristol- because it truly is the ultimate way to recover from tooth loss.
If there were award ceremonies for dental treatments in Bath, mini-implants would definitely be in with a shout. This procedure has become so easy to do because of the advances in technology, that today, you can have multiple placements done in a day- something that would be unheard of 20 years ago. When dental implants started to make an impact on the dental world, mini-implants were only used until the healing process was complete, then they would make way for big brother. But it was soon realised that ‘minis’ could have their own application as well. The only gripe that people had about implant technology before was how long it took for the wounds to heal before the crowns could be fitted, months in fact, because the process was still using drills and scalpels. Now, lasers have taken over in dental surgeries so the treatment is precise, cleaner and less damaging to your mouth and minis cause even less damage, which is why they can be called into use almost straight away. Where their application is best used is to support fittings in the mouth; dental bridges are fine in their own right, but if they spread over a large expanse of say three teeth, their strength is diminished, but by anchoring it in the middle with a mini, the bridge multiplies in strength. Minis are also in their element when used with dentures as they can anchor the fitting tightly to the mouth and combined with an adhesive, the dentures will stay put forever. For more information about mini-implants, you can call Clifton Dental.
Many years ago in Bristol, having a dental implant fitted was quite an ordeal to say the least as the process was hampered by the tools being used. Drills and scalpels, for all the good work they do, are quite primitive and after the operation was complete, the healing process was very delicate, taking months to heal before the new teeth could be attached to the implant. It is a relief then that the laser came along and radically changed any operation done in the mouth, let alone the fitting of the dental implant. A laser will break through the gum tissue, sealing the wounds as it goes and the produces a hole in the jaw bone with unique, pin-point precision. This takes a matter of minutes to do once the procedure has been set up and today multiple implants can be placed in the mouth in a matter of hours. They are very robust once they have settled in, have numerous uses: for any form of tooth loss, single teeth can be replaced by fitting a crown upon the implant; for multiple tooth loss, a bridge can be used in conjunction with dental implants. Implants can also be used in cases of total tooth loss and are more preferred to dentures. However, even with dentures, implants have come to the rescue; if five or six mini derivatives of the implant are placed in the mouth, they can be used to lock the dentures into place stronger than ever before. It is not all plain sailing with implants though- it still is a delicate procedure as a foreign body is being placed into the body and this takes time for the body to accept this. If you are considering having this treatment, you should first run any concerns by Clifton dental first in order to put your fears to rest.
It is hard to think of an alien implant being fitted into your body as dynamic or dazzling in Bristol from Clifton Dental, but when it comes to having a dental implant fitted, it is an absolute godsend. These little darlings take the place of your original root in order to house various fittings to either replace some form of tooth loss or to keep your dentures strong and true in your mouth. Once they are located into the jawbone, they are pretty much there forever and can support your smile in extraordinary ways. They are fantastic for locking in dentures so that you will never have the embarrassment of losing your teeth in public ever again. They are also great when supporting dental bridges to give stability to the fitting. But they come into their own when it comes to replacing a tooth. They can give back everything to your mouth that you may have thought you had lost and bring back a smile that will turn back the years. Such is the advancement in implant technology, it has become common place now in dental surgeries, meaning that the costs have dropped radically to the point where virtually anyone can have the treatment done. If you are suffering from tooth loss, a dental implant could be the answer to all your prayers.
Dental implants are made from a combination of titanium rods and ceramic false teeth. The titanium rod fits into the jawbone of the patient, then the chosen form of false tooth is attached to the tip. One implant is able to provide an anchor for more than one false tooth, and in total, five or six implants is all that is need to replace all the teeth in the jawbone.
Your dentist may ask to take X-rays and CT scans before implants can be attached as a way to fully examine your mouth and the to determine the alignment of your teeth in the jaw. During the surgery, which is carried out under local anaesthetic, your dentist will drill a hole in your jawbone in which the titanium rod will be placed. Next, the tip of the implant is uncovered from beneath the gum line and the false tooth may then be either clipped or screwed onto the implant by your dentist.
Both immediate and delayed implantation is available to the people of Swindon. Immediate implants are fitted directly after a tooth extraction, the titanium rod fits into the socket of your original tooth. However, with delayed implants, after a tooth is surgically extracted, the jawbone is left to heal. After several months, once the damaged tissue has healed, your dentist will create a new hole into which they can fit the implant.
Swelling, painful gums and headaches are all common side-effects of dental implant surgery. Serious complications can include: neuronal damage in the tissue, infections in the gum tissue or jawbone and extensive or severe bleeding. Nonetheless, these complications are very uncommon and definitely should not result from surgery with an experienced dental practitioner.
One of the things you should take on board and think about is just how lucky our generation is in Swindon and what our parents rather missed out when it comes to medical procedures, for things move quite rapidly and radically these days because technology is so advanced. The guy that came up with the dental implant for instance would truly be in a state of shock if he could see just how far the treatment has come. Back then, you’d have a face like a medicine ball for months on end after being fitted with one as it was all axes and chisels and it took a fair time to recover from afterwards. But, such is the way science works and you need guinea-pigs in the beginning to get to where we are today and wow, how things have advanced from then. The dental implant is still a titanium screw into bone, but it is how it is done these days which shows how far dentistry has evolved. No more scalpels, no more drills, it is all about the laser and computer and the operation is so precise and with modern healing techniques, you can be in and out in a day after being done. Of course it has hence become very cheap too, yes, but the benefits you get from having one fitted are cosmic. We are, for the fist time staring at the demise of the denture and waking up to teeth that will give you a grin and a freedom until the day we don’t wake up anymore- a dental implant is not just a great idea for a gift, it’s for life and if technology carries on at this rate, it won’t be long before you can do it home for your kids in the future.
Think of dental implants and most people would associate the treatment as being expensive, painful and used solely in the replacement of teeth as an alternative to dentures; true once it was very expensive to have done and the recovery period could last anything up to a year, after a long operation involving scalpels and drills. But now in Bath, the use of laser surgery has seen the whole process become incredibly widespread and available to all at a very reasonable price that all of us are capable of paying for. And such refinement in the procedure has not only seen the recovery period afterwards drop dramatically, but the use of an implant is now used for other procedures in the mouth too. One such procedure is the use of the mini-implant that can be fitted in a day to help stabilize dentures and bridges in the mouth and all of this has come because of the advancement of technology over the past few decades through computers and lasers. Lasers especially have seen the demise of the drill and scalpel in the dental world as it can do the job of both with the up-most precision and with very little damage done to the gums and bone- meaning the healing post-op is very minimal; its because of this rise in technology, that most dentists are able to offer the treatment around the city- and at a price that is attractive to us all.
The history tooth replacement over the last several centuries is a story of quite remarkable leaps forward in the technology used and the results achieved for patients. From a position a few hundred years ago when people were replacing missing teeth with pieces of wood and animal teeth and bones to the current innovation of dental implants, patients are having their tooth loss problems solved in an extremely effective fashion.
Without doubt, dental implants represent the most secure and long-lasting way to replace lost teeth. What a dental implant amounts to is a replacement of the root part of a lost tooth and it is just as secure. The procedure involves your dentist making an incision into the gum and placing a socket into it that a replacement tooth can be housed in.
The really incredible thing about dental implants is that they truly become a part of your mouth. Thanks to some pioneering work done in the nineteen fifties, it was found out that the metal titanium naturally fuses with living bone. This discovery has been utilised in dental implant work so that the implant is placed against the jaw bone, allowing the titanium and the bone to fuse together in time.
Dental implants are not cheap and the invasive nature of the surgery means that it is not suitable for every one. But if you are a suitable candidate then it is worth considering because the results are long-lasting and incredibly stable. Your Swindon dentist will be able to examine your mouth and give you further advice about what having dental implants placed means for you; book an appointment to find out more details today.
Dental implants are becoming ever more talked about in the public as more and more people opt for them as a solution to their tooth loss. But many people still don’t understand what they are and how they actually work. Your Bath dentist will be able to tell you all about them as they have probably carried out a number of the procedures. For the basics, read on.
Humans have long sought to replicate teeth when they have been lost, in recognition of the fact that eating, drinking and talking are a lot easier with a full set of teeth, even if some of them are not natural. Dental implants are the latest stage in this evolution and they represent a leap forward because they are concerned with replicating the actual root of the tooth which holds it in place.
False teeth themselves have come a long way and modern pontics (as they are sometimes known) are realistic, lightweight and durable. But dental implants represent a new way of holding false teeth in place in the mouth. Instead of being removable like dentures or secured to surrounding teeth, dental implants are attached to the actual jaw bone itself.
In an operation at the dental surgery, your dentist will place an implant beneath the gum and against the jaw bone. In time the titanium implant will fuse with the bone, giving it an incredible secure foundation, into which a false tooth can be screwed. The surgery is invasive and dental implants are not a cheap option but they are a permanent solution to tooth loss. It is this permanence that is making more and more people choose dental implants if they have lost a tooth or teeth.
A lot of people would consider the loss of teeth a tragedy of Shakespearian proportions and that might well have been true. The only alternative used to be, often, badly made dentures, which used to be seen as the onset of old age. That was until the Swedes invented the dental implant and my, how things have changed since those days too. It was all scalpels and drills to fit a small, titanium little rod into the jaw in those days- damned expensive as well; now, it’s all lasers and computers, and boy, how this has affected peoples lives today. You can virtually walk into most dentists around Gloucester and have the treatment done. It’s amazing how easy it is to fit one, due to the accuracy of planting the implant into the bone by the use of a laser- which by its very nature does little damage to the gums around it, making healing afterwards so much cleaner and faster. It’s also because of how streamlined the treatment has become, that more and more dentists want ‘in’ on the action, meaning good news for the everybody- prices have fallen, making it available to all. There’s no need to feel worried about tooth loss anymore; having an implant gives so much more youth and freedom to the mouth and to the patients self esteem. So go on, treat yourself and turn back the years- we’ve missed your smile!
Dr Gerrard is a Bristol based Cosmetic dentist with many years of experience and is one of only a small number of dentists accredited by The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
