Replacing Gaps

Implants

Dental Implants are often the best solution for replacing missing teeth. They provide a strong foundation that allows people to chew comfortably, and smile and talk confidently.

A dental implant is a titanium post, which is placed in to the jawbone to support artificial teeth where natural teeth are missing.

Implants can be used to replace a single tooth, or all teeth. Occasionally bone grafting may be required. A detailed assessment by your dentist including x-rays will enable us to assess your suitability for implant treatment.

Implants are usually placed under local anaesthesia. The area where the implants are placed is stitched, and there may be a little tenderness, bruising and discomfort for a week or so after the procedure.

Implants usually require about 8-12 weeks to integrate into the jaws, although with modern implants ‘same day’ teeth are possible. Temporary teeth can be made during the healing process.

In most cases the treatment will take between 6-12 months to complete, from initial assessment to having the new implanted teeth, however other factors can affect this time scale.

There are significant costs involved which your dentist can discuss with you. Implants provide a far better result than bridges and dentures in function, appearance, fit and the presentation of the remainder of the mouth.

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Bridges

A bridge is a way of replacing a missing tooth with 'fixed teeth' that are not removed from the mouth. There are various types of design; the two most common types of bridge are fixed bridges and adhesive bridges (also known as maryland bridges).

Fixed bridgework involves placing crowns on the teeth either side of a space, and then joining the two crowns together with a solid crown in the space, this enables missing teeth to be replaced. The bridge is cemented in place with a dental cement.

Adhesive bridgework involves placing 'wings' of support around adjacent teeth, and attaching a solid crown in the space, to give the appearance of a tooth. The bridge is cemented in place with a dental cement. There is no drilling involved with this procedure, as this procedure aims to conserve remaining teeth.

Both types of bridge should last approximately 10 years.

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Dentures

A denture is a way of replacing a tooth or teeth with a 'plate' that has false teeth attached to it. A denture can be removed from the mouth; therefore it is not fixed. There are various designs of denture, the plate is either made of plastic or is metal-based. Plastic plates are gum coloured in order to give a natural appearance. The dentist will discuss which option is more appropriate for your needs.

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