At one point in our clinic, replacing teeth meant dentures or bridges. But now, there are other options with dental implants in East Mosley. Let’s see how they work and how they have improved the lives of our patients.
What are oral implants?
Oral implants are a form of immobilized prosthetics where an artificial tooth is mounted onto a titanium rod that extends into the jawbone and is permanently anchored in place. Unlike removable prosthetics like bridges and dentures, an implant can only be removed by a dentist.
Partial prosthetics like inlays or crowns require remaining parts of a tooth to be built on, with root health being particularly important but an oral implant does not require any remaining root or even a vacant socket n the jaw in order to be installed.
How implants work
We perform our dental implants in East Mosley over two sessions. This is made possible by using oral implants which have a connector, allowing them to be installed sequentially. The lower half of the artificial root is a titanium rod. The other half is similar to a crown; a porcelain composite prosthetic carved Into whichever shape is appropriate.
For this procedure, we take multiple x-rays and then attempt to survey the jaw and find the best locations with high bone density which are likely to accept the implant well. During the procedure, the gum is opened at the implant site and the titanium implant is placed in the jaw. We then close the gum over the implant and stitch it in place.
There is then a healing phase where we wait for the implant to become integrated into the jaw. This can take anywhere between 4 to 12 months and is heavily dependent on your health and lifestyle. We can periodically check how well established the implant is with x-rays.
When firmly anchored and established in place, the loading procedure can begin. We reopen the gum and expose the top of the implant to which we then attach the prosthetic via a locking mechanism in the connector.
The connector firmly holds the prosthetic tooth in place. But if the prosthetic was ever damaged or required changing, the connector allows us to do that without extracting the implant from the jawbone.
Living with oral implants
After fully established and loaded, living with oral implants is very similar to your natural teeth. This is actually why many of our patients are attracted to them. They have the same brushing and flossing routines and require the same 6-month checkups. Being permanently fixed in place, patients soon see their prosthetics as an extension of themselves.
The aesthetic for dental implants in East Mosley is highly flexible. Usually the prosthetic is made to seemingly match the rest of your teeth. So, for some of our patients, remembering which of their teeth is an implant can become a challenge.
If you have any further queries about replacing lost teeth or to check if implanting would be suitable for you or a family member, please feel free to contact the clinic and will be happy to answer any of your questions.
