Transform your smile with dental implants in Plymouth
Gaps in your teeth or wobbly bridges no longer need to simply be put up with, especially as our dental implants in Plymouth can have a transformative effect on your smile. Let’s find out how!
You’ll be surprised how much can be changed with restorative dentistry. You often see the before-and-after photos of teeth showing significant improvement after being lightened and reshaped. But restorative dentistry has gone beyond this, being able to entirely replace teeth with no previous tooth remaining – not even a root to build up from.
How we use oral Implants
Dental implants in Plymouth (often simply referred to as implants) actually have two components; one is an artificial root that extends from the gumline into the jawbone and the other is the oral prosthesis, attached to the top of the artificial root and extending away from the gumline into the mouth. This could be a single tooth not that different to a standard crown or a larger structure like a bridge or denture that would be supported by multiple oral implants.
This has obvious advantages in replacing the tooth to aid in eating or any speech impediments that may occur in the absence of certain teeth. But there are less obvious advantages too; when teeth are removed or have been lost for some time, the normal stress of eating and talking is no longer transmitted down the root and into the jawbone. With the jawbone experiencing little or no force in this situation, it is common for it to decalcify and large quantities of jawbone to be broken down and reabsorbed into the body. This reduction in the jawbone creates a withered and gaunt appearance. Implants help to transmit forces into the jaw, thus stimulating and maintaining the mass of the jawbone.
Possible complications
The complication that is most common but still very rare is a failure for the new implant to be integrated into the jawbone. It is more common with those who have bone growth disorders and osteoporosis.
Managing dental anxiety
By most standards, dental implants in Plymouth are a fairly invasive procedure, as it does involve opening the gum and drilling directly into the jawbone. This is painless when performed under a local anaesthetic, but it can understandably cause great anxiety. Through the use of twilight sedation and other calmatives, we are more than happy to help patients manage their dental anxieties whilst undergoing such a significant procedure. Please feel free to talk more with our dentist who would be happy to make reasonable adjustments to the procedure, as we value your experience, comfort and health.
How long do implants last?
A 15-year lifespan for an implant is only half the story of the implant, assuming it was well integrated and no infections occur. The oral prosthetic component usually wears out over the course of 15 years and will need to be swapped with a new one, but this is a trivial procedure, making dental implants an investment in reducing the cost of future dental care.
