Dental implants provided by Byfleet Dental
We take dentistry seriously at our local dental practice in West Byfleet. Due to our continued push for keeping up with the cutting edge of restorative options, let’s see how dental implants could help you.
Unfortunately tooth loss is not uncommon and once the damage is done, many patients resign themselves to getting by with a partial denture or fitted bridge. Both of which have limitations; partial dentures and even full dentures are reliant on friction and glue between the bottom of the denture and the underlying gum. When that friction frails, rubbing ensues and ulcers form.
Fitted bridges cause tension to be placed on the neighbouring teeth. This significantly reduces any surrounding tooth’s lifespan, by increasing the chances that they are broken or become infected where the wire meets the base of the tooth.
There are other solutions and one of the most complete options available are dental implants. Not only do they allow us to replace lost teeth at our dentist in West Byfleet, without the need for healthy surrounding teeth, they can replace teeth that were lost many years ago. You can even use a dental implant to immobilise the prosthetics you already have; five implants are considered as appropriate for anchoring a full set of dentures. With bridges, we will assess how many are needed to firmly secure your prosthetic teeth in place.
Dental implants are made possible through a natural process called osseointegration. This is where a bond between titanium and living bone forms, holding the titanium securely in place and allowing more bone to grow. It was first noted in the 1950s and is why titanium is so commonly used in surgical procedures with bone.
A titanium implant itself is a small titanium rod which extends down into the jawbone like an artificial root, anchoring whatever is placed above it through a connector. The connector can be locked onto a dental prosthetic, which is often a single tooth like a crown.
The bit of the dental implant which you see is the prosthetic; when it is an individual tooth this is made to order and we match the shade of your natural enamel and its translucency providing you with a natural looking, subtle match for your surrounding teeth.
This means that for many patients, telling the difference between which of their teeth is natural and which is an implant is no easy task. This is made even harder because a dental implant is almost identical to your natural teeth, requiring regular brushing and for you to attend the clinic every six months as part of your standard check-up.
Dental implants are a significant investment of time and money with a minimum of four months required for a successful implantation. This is assuming everything went well, but sometimes complications can arise. As for price related concerns, we do offer 0% credit monthly repayments for those who wish to spread the cost of care with us.
If you are curious about how dental implants could help you or your family members, please get in contact with our practice and we will be happy to provide you with more information. We offer free assessments for those who are interested in dental implants. We are currently accepting new patients so if you are interested in a dentist in West Byfleet who can take your dental care to the highest level, please get in contact today.