They should attend their dentist for regular review so that the health of the soft tissue, bone levels and the integrity of the restoration can be checked.
Dental implants have an extremely high average success rate of over 95%. Implants have higher success rates then when compared to other tooth replacement methods such as removable dentures. They are considered widely as the method of choice to replace missing or failing teeth.
All dentistry procedures and particularly complex ones like implantology start with a detailed consultation with Dr Gutierres. During this meeting, Dr Gutierres will discuss and agree with you exactly which treatment is appropriate for you and a personalised treatment plan will be developed. Dental implants often prove to be a better alternative to traditional dentures because they are permanent, very natural looking, do not require intrusive support structures and fully restore tooth and mouth function. Our many delighted patients report that this has significantly improved their confidence and self esteem.
Over the long term, dental implants are a viable alternative to traditional dentures as they require minimal ongoing intervention from the dentist. We will be pleased to discuss costs and finance options with you.
These ‘new teeth’ are maintained in much the same way as normal teeth. Specific brushing and flossing techniques will be taught. On your regular dental check ups the implants are to be reviewed. Good oral hygiene is required to ensure the long-term success of your implants.
If the titanium fixtures have successfully integrated to the bone and are properly maintained, they should last for many years. However, just as you would expect conventional crowns, bridges and fillings to need occasional repairs or replacements during the course of their lifetime, your implant-supported teeth may also need similar maintenance.
The exact number of implants depends on the number and location of the missing teeth, volume and quality of the bone on the area. If you are missing one tooth, one implant is usually what will be required to replace it. Bigger gaps of two or three missing teeth do not necessarily require one implant per tooth. It may be possible to replace wider gaps with a smaller number of implants through an implant bridge.
If an implant fails to integrate with the surrounding bone, it means that it has not achieved a rigid fixation. It will eventually become loose and will not be able to support a replacement tooth. Commonly there is no discomfort with the failing implant and because it will become loose it be easily removed. If there are other implants remaining it may not even be required to replace it at all.
Nevertheless, if you decide to have implant treatment you must be prepared to deal with the possibility that failures can happen and may not always prove to be so easy to deal with.
Implant treatments are a reliable treatment modality with failing implants in the region of 5-8%. In practice this could mean that 1 in 20 of the implants placed might not survive in long-term function. It is a good idea to talk about how an implant failure might affect your treatment plan before you start the treatment.
Dr. Pedro Gutierres started practising dentistry in the UK shortly after qualify in Lisbon, Portugal, back in 2006.
+Dr. João Silva started practising dentistry in the UK in 2013 after qualifying in Fernando Pessoa University, Portugal.
+Dr. Filipe Costa graduated in Lisbon but his desire for improvement brought him to the UK
+If you have any questions or need any
further information please let us know.