Dental implants: a guide to permanent tooth replacement

Dental implants are the only permanent method of replacing missing teeth. At Broadway Dental in Loughton we can use implants combined with crowns, a dental bridge, or dentures to replace anything from one to all of your natural teeth.

dental-implants-LoughtonAt our Loughton clinic we believe dental implants to be the best long-term solution to tooth loss. They replace the roots of the teeth – indeed, they are the only way a dentist can do this – and as well as keeping your new teeth securely in your jaw bone, they also help to keep your jaw bone dense, strong and healthy.

A shrinking jaw bone causes traditional dentures to become loose – which, if you suffer from this problem, you will already know causes a wide range of problems, including:

  • Dietary issues by restricting what you can eat
  • Issues with your speech
  • Loss of confidence if your teeth begin to slip in public, affecting your social life

At Broadway Dental in Loughton we can solve all of these problems by stabilising your dentures with dental implants. This involves placing a series of implants (usually between four and eight per jaw) and leaving them to heal for a few months, after which your dentist will attach a permanent new set of dentures on top. You can usually continue to wear your old dentures during the healing process, after you have adjusted them.

If you have worn standard dentures for a number of years, you may have already experienced some loss of bone density, meaning that your lower or upper jaw will need to be rebuilt to adequate levels to support dental implants. Should we find this to be the case following a CT scan, your dentist will discuss your treatment options.

At our Loughton clinic we offer bone grafts for the lower jaw and sinus lifts for the upper jaw. Both of these procedures will enable you to enjoy all the benefits of dental implants once the bone graft material has healed.

For single tooth replacement, such as after an accident, we will place one implant and attach one crown. Multiple teeth can be replaced with a series of dental implants and a bridge.