USING DENTAL IMPLANTS TO FREE YOURSELF FROM THE RESTRICTIONS OF LOOSE DENTURES

With dental implants, common denture problems can be a thing of the past. The Bristol Dental Practice offers two methods of replacing all the teeth in one or both of your jaws: implants can be used to stabilise your dentures, or you can have an implant-retained full-arch bridge. Both options provide unrivalled stability and functionality, and create highly realistic looking restorations.

Most people who wear traditional dentures will have trouble with their fit. This can affect what you can eat, can change or impede your speech, and can seriously damage your body image and confidence in social situations if your teeth develop a tendency to slip or fall out of your mouth.

The problems with dentures are caused, at least in part, by the jaw bone shrinking. This is a common side-effect of losing all or many of your natural teeth, and traditional dentures don’t help because they don’t address the issue of missing tooth roots.

Dental implants are bionic tooth roots, which are made from titanium. As well as being very compatible with the human body, titanium also supports bone growth, meaning that as soon as your dental implants are placed at our Bristol dental practice, the process of osseointegration will begin, which sees your implants mesh strongly with your bone. After a few months, they will provide a very stable base on to which your dental implant surgeon (Dr Jonathan Cochrane) will attach a denture or bridge.

Bristol Dental Implants

As part of the implant assessment process at our Bristol dental clinic, your dentist can perform a CT scan to assess your current level of bone density. If you are lacking in enough dense bone to support dental implants, an additional bone graft or sinus lift may be required.

For implant-retained dentures, your dental implant surgeon (Dr Jonathan Cochrane) will place a minimum of four implants per jaw. In the case of an implant-retained bridge – which requires a higher level of bone density – we will place between six and eight implants per jaw.

After the healing period, your permanent new teeth will be attached, giving you all the functionality of a healthy mouth once more.

DENTAL IMPLANTS: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

At the The Bristol Dental Practice , we see implants as more than just tooth replacements. Dental implants are an investment in both your smile and your future, because they are the best long-term solution to tooth loss. With proper aftercare, they should last you for many years.

However, we appreciate that choosing dental implants to replace your missing teeth is a big, life-changing decision. You are likely to have several questions about implant treatment, so we have gathered some common implant-related questions and answers. If you need any more information on any aspect of implant treatment, please get in touch with a member of our Bristol dental team.

Why are dental implants the best way to replace missing teeth?

Dental implants are the only permanent method of tooth replacement, and the only way your dentist can replace tooth roots. These roots are important to the health of your jaw bone as well as providing the obvious function of holding your teeth in your mouth.

Does implant placement hurt? What’s the down time?

Placing dental implants won’t hurt at all. At our Bristol dental centre, we usually just use local anaesthetic, although we can also use conscious sedation for patients who fear the dentist.

Post-operative discomfort doesn’t last long, and over-the-counter painkillers are usually sufficient. You should take it easy for the rest of the day after implant surgery, but most people return to normal activities the next day. If you have been sedated, someone will need to take you home and look after you until the sedatives wear off.

How many teeth can implants replace?

As many as needed. Our Bristol implant dentist (Dr Jonathan Cochrane) can replace anything from one to all your teeth with dental implants, crowns, a bridge, or dentures.

My dentures used to fit, but now they are loose. Will the same happen with my implants?

No. This is one of the major benefits of dental implants. They keep your teeth in place and your jaw bone healthy and strong, meaning common denture problems with eating, speaking, and self-esteem are eliminated.

With regular follow-up appointments at our Bristol dental practice, your teeth could last for life.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS, THE PERMANENT TOOTH REPLACEMENT

With dental implants, a dentist can permanently replace any teeth you have lost – no matter how you came to lose them. At our Bristol dental practice, we are aware of the devastating effects of tooth loss; it can impact upon your diet, your speech, your body image, and your self-esteem. That’s why we are proud to offer several implant solutions.

How dental implants work

Dental implants should not be thought of as replacement teeth, but rather as replacement tooth roots. They are small titanium screws or posts that are placed in direct contact with your jaw bone in a minor oral surgical procedure, carried out here at our Bristol dental centre under either local anaesthetic or sedation.

As soon as your dental implants are in place, a process called osseointegration begins. This sees your implants meshing with your jaw bone, creating a very strong bond that is akin to that of the natural tooth roots. Your Bristol implant dentist (Dr Jonathan Cochrane) will then attach your permanent new teeth – either dentures, a bridge, or a single crown, depending on your clinical situation – to abutments on top of your dental implants, giving you back all the functionality of a set of natural teeth.

Bristol dental implant options

At our Bristol dental clinic, we can treat even complex implant cases where bone resorption has occurred. Our skilled implant dentist can carry out either a bone graft or a sinus lift prior to the placement of dental implants.

Some patients at our Bristol clinic who require all the teeth in one jaw replacing are suitable for a procedure called All-on-4. This, as the name suggests, involves placing just four dental implants, which can support a full jaw of teeth. With this option, you will walk out of the dental practice on the same day with a functional and aesthetically pleasing set of new teeth.

In other cases, it is best to leave your implants to heal for a few months, so that osseointegration can fully take place. In this case your dentist may fit temporary teeth so that you are not left toothless.

DENTAL IMPLANTS: HOW YOU CAN STILL HAVE TREATMENT WITH LOW BONE DENSITY

Lack of jaw bone density no longer automatically excludes you from dental implants treatments, with a variety of options available to provide you with permanent, functional new teeth. At the The Bristol Dental Practice we offer a range of implant solutions for patients with low bone density, provided by our experienced implant dentist, Dr Jonathan Cochrane.

A loss of bone density is a common but lesser-known side-effect of tooth loss. It happens when the root portions of the teeth are missing for any amount of time, and traditional dentures alone do not solve this problem because they only replace the crown parts of your teeth.

Indeed, bone loss is the main reason that traditional dentures tend to become loose. When your dentures were first fitted, your dentist will have ensured that they were snug to your gums and comfortable to wear. But when the bone starts to shrink away, the fit of your dentures will change, making them unwieldy and increasingly difficult to live with.

Instead of making frequent trips to your dentist to have your dentures adjusted, choosing dental implants is a more efficient, permanent, and cost-effective solution. When you come into our Bristol dental practice for an initial implant consultation, Dr Jonathan Cochrane can use CT scans to assess your current level of bone density.

Should you be found to be lacking in bone density, our Bristol clinic is fully equipped to carry out bone grafting procedures. We use a synthetic calcium-based material for all our bone grafting treatments. After a healing period this material will have meshed firmly with your bone and blood vessels, providing a stable base for dental implants to be placed.

Another popular option at our Bristol clinic is called All-on-4, and involves placing just four dental implants to support a full jaw of dentures. This can sometimes be used as an effective solution for patients with low bone density, and means that you will walk out of our Bristol clinic with a full set of functional, aesthetically appealing new teeth on the same day.

To find out more about implant treatments in Bristol, book a consultation today.

Alternatively, please visit our page – Dental Implants Bristol