Replacing missing teeth at Arthur House Dental Care

The dental implant procedure

Expert care to restore your teeth and your smile

To ensure your dental implant treatment is successful we plan the whole process very carefully. This initially begins with an assessment of your dental health.

Dental Examination

We do a thorough dental examination to assess the health of your gums and jaw bone. This is important because dental implant success requires good oral health and bone structure.

Gum disease can affect the success of dental implants. If you have gum disease it will need to be treated thoroughly before you have dental implants.

If your tooth loss has been longstanding then you may have lost some jawbone. It is important to have a good volume of bone to ensure implant success. If there is a significant lack of bone then you may need a bone graft.

Dental X-rays and CT scan

We will take X-rays to help us determine the best position for the dental implant.
A 3D CT scan is also often necessary, especially if you are having multiple dental implants. This provides detailed information such as the volume of jaw bone available and the location of important structures such as nerves.

The Dental Implant Procedure

Stage 1 – dental implant placement

The first step in the implant procedure involves a local anaesthetic injection to numb the area. This will ensure that you feel no discomfort.

Sedation may be used if you are feeling nervous but in our experience this is generally not necessary.

A small hole is then made in the jaw bone and the titanium rod of the dental implant is securely fitted into the hole. This completes the first phase of treatment.
The whole procedure is quite straightforward. In fact it is simpler than taking out a tooth.

Stage 2 – the healing phase

During the healing phase the titanium rod gradually fuses with the jaw bone. This process (known as osseointegration) usually takes 3 months.

Once the healing is complete the titanium rod forms a strong and stable platform for the new crown.

Stage 3 – placement of the dental crown

In the final stage the dental crown is fixed to the titanium rod. It will look like a natural tooth.

Your smile is now restored! You can now enjoy the benefits of having a full set of teeth. Meals will be more enjoyable and your diet will improve. You will look better, feel better and you will be healthier.