Did you know that when your teeth fall out, the jawbone around where the tooth roots were starts to dissolve itself? Without the tiny vibrations that get transmitted into the jawbone via the teeth every time they clang together, the bone thinks it is no longer in use. Rather than let all that useful calcium go to waste, the bone cells resorb and send the calcium back into the bloodstream for use elsewhere.

In theory, you can’t fault the body for being good at not wasting stuff. In practice, what you end up with, in just a few short years, is a much smaller, less dense jaw and that pointy-chinned, sunken-faced look associated with premature old age.

This alone is one of the main reasons we at Broadway Dental Clinic recommend dental implants in Loughton. You will stay looking younger longer.

The advantages of dental implants

In Loughton, dental implants also give you back your freedom of choice around food, and your dignity. They do so by being permanently fixed into the jawbone, creating a firm, solid anchor for the crowns, which will be able to cope with more than enough chewing force to enjoy whatever you want to eat, from crunchy roast potatoes to a chewy steak. As well as this, crowns supported by dental implants are never going to take a life of their own and start wobbling around in your mouth like dentures can do, even if they were really well fitting when you first had them.

This wobble is a consequence of the shrinking jaw, which we talked about earlier in this article.

In Loughton, dental implants do carry a higher initial cost, but the good news is that, once they are integrated into the jawbone, they should stay in place for the rest of your life. So, if you are planning on being around for more than, say, the next few years, they are well worth the investment. Dentures and bridges only have a lifetime of 5–10 years, so when you are doing your cost comparisons, you need to factor in that you might need to pay for dentures and bridges several times over, whereas you will only have to pay for dental implants once.

Missing teeth can be inconvenient, uncomfortable and unsightly. This, in turn, can affect how you feel about yourself. If your heart sinks when you look in the mirror or you think twice before smiling in social situations or for photographs, then you might like to know how dental implants in Loughton can help. As well as detracting from your appearance, gaps can make it hard to eat or speak properly, which leads to self-consciousness, and limits the range of food you can enjoy. At Broadway Dental Clinic, we have helped many of our patients in Loughton. Dental implants can restore your smile and improve your oral health.

What are dental implants?

The implant itself is a small metal screw that is fitted into the jaw during a minor surgical procedure under local anaesthetic to make it as comfortable as possible for you. The bone and blood vessels in your jaw mesh around the implant to stabilise it. When the implant has settled, it can be used as a sound base for crowns, bridges, single artificial teeth or dentures. This offers a far more secure option than removeable dentures, or replacements that fit to existing teeth. Our patients who have experienced dental implants in Loughton have found that they are very durable. Smoking and taking bisphosphonate medications can cause problems but, with the correct care, your implants can last for several decades.

Will my dental implants look natural?

Dental implants are invisible as they are hidden in the jaw. The crowns, bridges or replacement teeth you choose will be carefully made to match the appearance of remaining teeth. If you need a whole new set of teeth, these will be designed to complement the shape of your mouth and enhance your appearance. If you have dental implants in Loughton, people will admire your beautiful smile, but no one needs to know the secret behind it. You will be able to eat and speak as normal so you stand out for the right reasons, not the wrong ones.

We are proud of the services we offer in Loughton. Dental implants could be the solution to your missing teeth.

Gone are the days when the only treatment to replace missing teeth were removable dentures and bridges. Traditional dentures tend to become loose over time and can be uncomfortable to wear and difficult to maintain. Bridges, on the other hand, can compromise the health of your natural teeth, since they require grinding down neighbouring teeth for support. Dental implants offer a viable alternative to these options with improved comfort and appearance.

At Broadway Dental Clinic in Loughton, dental implants are our treatment of choice for patients who have lost one, several or all of their natural teeth. Unlike removable dentures and bridges, which simply sit on the gums, dental implants interact with the jawbone and create a strong and stable foundation for replacement teeth.

What exactly are dental implants?

When describing dental implants, the best comparison is to your natural teeth. A natural tooth consists of two parts – the root of the tooth that is hidden below the gum line, and the white enamel that is visible above it. Similarly, dental implants small titanium posts which are buried below the gum, and are topped by restorations that look like natural teeth. Because they are made of titanium, a material that is compatible with the human body, dental implants have the unique ability to fuse with the jawbone and encourage the growth of new bone tissue. This way bone deterioration and further bone loss is avoided.

How long does the treatment take?

Treatment with dental implants depends on how complicated your problem is, where the dental implants are to be placed, and the quality of your gums and jawbone. Our experienced dentists will be able to provide you with a timetable after your initial assessment. As a guideline, expect a minimum of three months and a maximum of 12 months from your first consultation to the time when you receive your replacement teeth.

A more confident smile

You can now restore your smile and self-esteem, eat and enjoy more foods and live a healthier and happier life. All this is possible by having dental implants in Loughton. Contact us today and we will book a consultation appointment for you.

You know that saying? It denotes how a change in technology can revolutionise people’s lives. At Broadway Dental Clinic, we’d cite dental implants in Loughton as one of the top advances that have changed lives.

You know an idea is good when it spreads across the world. The internet is one simple idea that has changed everybody’s lives. In Loughton, dental implants are another. The advance is in being able to replace the root of a missing tooth as well as the crown. This is something that people have been trying to do for hundreds of years. In fact, there is evidence of jade and shells being used to replace teeth as far as back 600AD when the Mayans used them and archaeologists have found skeletons with these materials fused into the jawbones.

A better diet

Being able to replace the root of a tooth means being able to give someone back their chewing power. And being able to bite and chew means being able to eat a wide and varied diet of unprocessed foods with a high nutritional value. A good diet means better health, so the knock-on effects of implants are so varied it’s probably impossible to measure them in any way that is meaningful.

Better mental wellbeing

Having teeth that are securely anchored into the jawbone also does wonders for one’s mental wellbeing. It is only when we lose our teeth and have to live with unsightly gaps, especially in the front 6 social teeth, that we can begin to appreciate how important our teeth are to the way we feel about ourselves. Before, and concurrently with, dental implants in Loughton, dentists replaced teeth with fixed bridges and full or partial dentures. Dentures especially can affect self-esteem because they often become loose as the jaw beneath shrinks due to lack of stimulation from tooth roots. The embarrassment from gaps or wobbly dentures is enough to stop people talking, smiling and laughing for fear of being laughed at. It can be horribly isolating.

These are just 2 reasons why we think dental implants in Loughton are the best thing since sliced bread. Come in for a consultation and find out if you agree.

Do you know one of the things we at Broadway Dental Clinic love about dental implants in Loughton? The history of them is almost as old as civilisation. Teeth are so important to being able to thrive as well as survive. On a fundamental level, if we can’t bite and chew, we can’t eat and we don’t make it very far. In the 21^st century, we have all sorts of gadgets to turn crunchy, chewy foods into foods that need very little oral processing before we swallow them, so we are less likely to starve to death without teeth, but we can still become malnourished.

Back in the time of the earliest discovered dental implants, being able to bite and chew was vital for survival. Small wonder then that, 4,000 years ago, the Chinese used small bamboo pegs tapped into the jawbone to replace teeth. The Egyptians of 2,000 years ago used precious metals. Other cultures, such as the Mayans, used shells. Nowadays, in Loughton, dental implants made of titanium are giving people back the joy of chewing.

At Broadway Dental Clinic in Loughton, dental implants are rapidly becoming the go-to restoration method for lost teeth. People are realising that although the initial outlay for implants is higher, and that the procedures to implant them are longer and more invasive, in the long-term they are worth the time, money and effort that goes into having them inserted.

Tooth loss

People can start to lose the odd tooth in their 40s and 50s, especially if they grind their teeth at night, or have not taken good care of their teeth when they were younger. With longer life expectancies, this means that some people could be looking at 4 or 5 decades with missing teeth, longer than they had the full set for in some cases.

Dental implants in Loughton can last that long without needing to be replaced, which makes the initial outlay of £2,100 per implant seem much better value. Especially so, when you consider that during 40 years, a bridge or dentures may need to be replaced 5 times.

So now you know both the maths and history behind the most reliable solution to tooth loss: dental implants.