When you lose a tooth, for whatever reason, you may be wondering what is the best way to replace it. These days more and more people are choosing to invest in dental implants in Loughton to replace their teeth. Initially, they seem more expensive than traditional bridges and dentures, but they last longer, maybe your whole life, and they give a more functional replacement that provides a whole lot more than just something pearly white to smile with.
When you come to Broadway Dental Clinic for dental implants in Loughton, you will be at the start of a journey that could take several months to complete.
Your journey
It starts with an initial consultation, a full examination to find out the state of your mouth and jaw. If you have other oral issues, we will need to get those cleared up before we move on to implant surgery. This may include extracting any other teeth that are failing, and then giving you time to heal from the extractions.
If you have been missing teeth for quite a while, it may be that your jawbone is no longer strong enough to support dental implants. If this is the case, all is not lost. You can have a couple of things done to strengthen it. You can have extra bone tissue grafted into your jaw, which will then need a few months to integrate and grow. Or, if the problem is with your upper jaw, you can have extra-long implants inserted into the dense bone above your jaw in what we call a sinus lift.
Once your jaw is ready to receive dental implants in Loughton, you will come to us for oral surgery, which usually takes about an afternoon. This is done under local anaesthetic, and involves drilling new channels into your jawbone and then inserting the implants. It sounds worse than it is, but if you are nervous, you can have sedation, either oral or intravenous, so that you can relax.
After surgery, you will need a few weeks to months for the implants to become secure in your jaw. Then you come back to have your new custom-made crowns fitted. These can be single, several, or a whole arch, depending on your needs.