Dental implants the height of restorative dentistry

With dental implants Nottingham, we are at the cutting edge of restorative dentistry and looking at the results of many decades of research and development. They have opened up new capacity to replace lost teeth that we never used to have in a clinic. Unlike crowns or veneers which require some remaining tooth with a healthy root to build on top of, a dental implant requires nothing, not even a vacant socket!

So what is a dental implant?

Our dental implants Nottingham come in three distinct parts. There is first the titanium implant which is a short rod of metal, that is implanted into the jawbone below the gum line and acts as a synthetic root. On top of which we can fit a dental prosthetic; if it is a single tooth implant, the prosthetic would look like a solid crown. Holding the two parts together is the connector or abutment; it locks the implant together, keeping the prosthetic in place at the end of the implant, so it can be unlocked by our dentist if it is necessary to replace the prosthetic for any reason.

The development of the implant

The dental implants we use in the clinic were made possible by a study in the 1950s into which metals would be best for use in orthopaedic surgery. It was found the titanium was not only well tolerated with no toxicity or corrosion, but the new living bone that grew around it would strongly adhere itself to the metal. This makes it the perfect material for the artificial root of a dental implant.

Bone is the slowest growing of all human tissue, so it takes some time to fuse when you have had an implant fitted. It can take between 4-12 months for an implant to become fully integrated into the jawbone.

Abutment

The abutment is the newest adaptation to dental implants Nottingham. Earlier models just had a titanium peg fitted with a crown, but the patient would have to be very gentle with the prosthetics as the implant integrated into the bone, making the time period too long for this to be practical.

The abutment allows the two parts of the implant to be installed in two steps. This permits the titanium component to be inserted below the gum line and the gum permitted to grow over it shielding it and helping to immobilise it as it fuses into the jaw.

After 4-12 months (when the implant is fully fused in place) the false tooth is placed on top. This is called loading the implant. It permits the patients to have relatively normal use of the teeth during the ossification stage of the treatment and the option to decouple the implant if the prosthetic tooth is damaged or requires replacing.

Oral prosthetic options

There are many options for oral prosthetics; not only can any single tooth be replaced but one very cost-effective option is to use implants to anchor a bridge or a set of dentures giving them the rock-solid feeling of natural teeth and eliminating rubbing. We would be happy to advise on the best solution here at Hilton Dental Clinic for you.