Dental implants are becoming more popular as dental patients see that the implant treatment is highly successful and predictable. Dental implants are mainly made of titanium and resemble small screws that are inserted into the jawbone. Implants feel like natural teeth as they are inserted into the jaw bone so are fixed and strong just like natural teeth. Implants were discovered and pioneered by Prof Branemark of Sweden. Dental implant treatments and designs have improved greatly in the last 20 years. Today we are able to replace teeth in just one day thanks for advances in immediate loading of dental implants.
A clinical example of dental implants
A 44 years old male patient came to our clinic and complained of a failed fixed bridge on natural teeth. The bridge had been made 5 years before by the patients regular dentist. The teeth had been damaged before during a biking accident years before. The bridge was tender and had fallen off more than once. The patient was referred to our clinic for an assessment to see if implants could help with a fixed teeth solution. The bridge was of a standard porcelain fused to metal type and this meant that the margins were evident on the upper right central incisor and the upper left lateral incisor. The patients main request was for a stronger solution than the bridge and for a better aesthetic result.
The patient was seen for an initial assessment and once it had been agreed that dental implant treatment was the best long term solution the treatment began. The radiographs and ct scans confirmed that the upper left lateral incisor was fractured and needed to be removed. This was done gently under local anaesthetic, and the area was left to heal. Following a 3 month healing period 2 dental implants were placed to replace the upper left central incisor and the upper left lateral incisor. The upper right central incisor was prepared to accept a new metal free crown in order to provide the best long term aesthetics. Metal free crowns have been shown to provide better natural looking crowns.
The crowns were made of a combination of Ivoclar Emax Ceramic and Zirconia. The metal free crowns allow natural light to pass through which means that the ceramic has very similar properties to natural dental enamel. This translucency provides highly natural looking aesthetic restorations. The translucency of the crowns can be seen on the upper image on the right side where light is shone behind the crowns. The Emax crowns are bonded to the natural teeth or zirconia abutments in order to provide a super strong restoration which can withstand the normal biting forces exerted on these teeth hundreds of time each day.
The patient was very happy with the final result. The treatment took 7 months to complete from start to finish. The patient is now able to smile with confidence and the teeth are more natural looking than the initial porcelain fused to metal bridge. If you have a similar problem and would like to speak to one of our dentist please feel free to contact us via our email contact form or via telephone 0844 815 1414. Brighton implant clinic is based in Sussex and has 3 branches in Brighton, Hailsham and Hove. Each of our clinics are designed and equipped with the latest technology and equipment. Our practices have been awarded prizes for Best New Practice and Most Attractive Practice in the UK in 2009 and 2010. We offer a FREE initial consultation with free panoramic radiograph ( if needed ).
Click the photos below to see if you need dental implants.
Single missing anterior tooth
Several teeth missing
Multiple missing teeth
You should consider implants when:
- You have one or more missing teeth
- Teeth are decayed and / or need extracting
- Teeth are damaged or broken
- You have severe gum disease teeth and need to be removed
- You wear dentures, have crowns or fixed bridges
