Dental implants

Alma Dental Practice provides implants working in association with our surgical colleague Dr Ian Grime, of Kyleville, Heaton. Dr Grime is an experienced oral surgeon who has placed many dental implants. We liase closely with Dr Grime throughout the treatment planning and surgical phase. The complex restorative phase is then carried out at Alma Dental Practice. All arrangements for treatment and payment can be made simply through Alma Dental Practice . Using our 0% finance option can make dental implants an affordable choice of treatment.

What are dental implants? Dental implants give you the confidence to achieve a more natural smile. They are basically sophisticated screws or posts made of a medically pure metal, titanium.This is the same metal that has been successfully used in hip implants for many years. The screws/posts are placed in the jaw bone and rest under the gum for 3 - 6 months. During this time they actually fuse to the jawbone and become osseo (bone) integrated. After the appropriate healing time, we uncover the implants and use them to replace one or more missing teeth by making a dental prosthesis (eg crown, bridge or overdenture).

How complicated is the surgery? Implant surgery is often done in just one stage. This involves the placement of the implants into the available jaw bone and is most commonly done with just local anaesthesia. It is complicated only in the sense that the surgery requires great precision. Sometimes a second stage is needed which involves the uncovering of the implants after they have integrated (fused).   

Once the implants and replacement teeth are in place, you must maintain the highest standards of oral hygiene.

Implants

• A dental implant is essentially a substitute for a natural root and commonly it is screw or cylinder shaped.

• Each implant is placed into a socket carefully drilled at the precise location of the intended tooth.

• All the common forms of tooth replacement, such as bridges or dentures can be replaced by dental implants.

• If you have good general health then dental implants will almost certainly work for you.

• For routine cases, from the time of implant placement to the time of placing the first teeth, treatment times can vary between 6 weeks and 6 months.

• Well maintained implants placed into adequate bone can be expected to last for many years and probably for your lifetime. However, just as you would expect conventional crowns, bridges and fillings to need occasional repairs or replacements during their lifetime, your implant-supported teeth may also have similar maintenance requirements over theirs.

Summary of stages for routine dental implants

1. Diagnosis and treatment planning after which it may be necessary to carry out repairs or treatment to any remaining teeth.

2. Implant placement is usually followed by a period of healing lasting from 6 weeks to 6 months. Often the implants are completely hidden beneath the gum; however one-stage procedures where the implant is visible from the time of placement are also commonplace. Stitches are normally removed 7 to 10 days after the implant placement.

3. Several visits may be needed over the next few weeks to adjust temporary teeth or dentures and to monitor healing.

4. Once the implants have healed uneventfully for the required time, they are uncovered if necessary and made ready to connect the teeth. Sometimes the time allowed for implants to integrate may be increased or decreased to suit the local bone conditions and the overall quality of healing.

5. In some cases the first teeth fitted to your implants are not the final ones, but replicas of the intended design. This stage can be used to assess the implants, control early loading and in areas where aesthetics are more critical, also gives the gums time to mature around each implant before final teeth are fitted.

6. Final teeth are commonly fitted between 3 and 9 months after the implants were first placed. The way that the teeth fit together is carefully adjusted so that they do not interfere with each other.

7. Regular examination and hygiene appointments are then all that is required to maintain the health of the mouth, teeth and implants.

Zoom

Your smile is important. It’s one of the first things that someone notices about you, when you meet someone. A whiter brighter smile is beautiful-it can help you feel better about yourself and make a memorable impression. Your lifestyle and the aging process can stain and darken your teeth. Alma Dental brings you Zoom laser whitening, the very latest way to whiten your teeth. We all want to look our best and a brighter, whiter smile can do so much to enhance your appearance. With Zoom laser whitening we can whiten your teeth by up to 8 shades in only 45 minutes, allowing you to smile with confidence