Dentals implants are an excellent option to replace missing teeth. A dental implant is an artificial tooth root, made of titanium, which is placed into the bone of the mouth where the root of the natural tooth would normally be. This procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic (with sedation if the patient prefers) and we work closely with Dr Declan Furlong at Northern Cross dental for this surgical part of the procedure. The patient then returns to us for the restorative part of the procedure when the teeth are fitted
If the patient is missing just one single tooth then an implant can be placed into the space and a single crown fitted to that implant. If several teeth are missing sometimes a bridge is the preferred option where several teeth are fixed to two or more implants.
Dentures can also be fixed in place with two or more implants giving a really secure and well fitting replacement for several teeth with a chewing capacity close to that of natural teeth.
Implants are very successful especially in a fit non-smoking patient. Implants can almost always be fitted in the front of the mouth though the position of sinuses and nerve structures in the back of the mouth may mean that fitting implants here may not be an option.
