What are Dental Implants?

Dental implants look and perform like natural teeth and have become a treatment of choice for people whose teeth are missing or failing. Implants mimic your real teeth from the root to the whole tooth and so once you’ve had them fitted there is no need to treat them any differently. Also, if you are only having a few implants fitted, they do not affect your healthy teeth at all, unlike bridges.

Dental implants are long-lasting tooth root replacements that oral surgeons implant into the jawbone to simulate the root of a pre-existing tooth. This means that, unlike dentures or bridges, dental implants can last a lifetime. Dental implants are secured into the patient’s jawbone and therefore do not rely on the adjacent teeth which means they perform naturally and encourage healthy bone.

Find out more about the Teeth in a Day Service here.

What material is used for dental implants?

The "root" of the dental implant is a titanium rod that is implanted into the jawbone. Titanium is chosen because it is strong, inert and readily integrates with the natural structures of the jaw and gum. The titanium rod is used as a firm foundation to support different dental structures but primarily as the platform for crowns which form a natural looking replacement for lost teeth.

The traditional implant procedure:

Traditionally the placement of dental implants has required a minor operation, sometimes under general anaesthetic and often with several visits to the dental clinic. The initial part of the process is a consultation with the implant dentist to establish exactly what treatment is required and for example what colour implants are needed to match the natural tooth colour.

This is followed by the fitting of the titanium rods into the jawbone. This is followed by an "integration" phase where the implants settle into the existing jaw bone. With some patients there is insufficient jaw bone to support traditional implants and bone augmentation is necessary before the titanium supports can be placed.

During the integration period, temporary implants or restorations will be placed. Once the implants have fully integrated (up to six months), the final crowns are fitted using a very strong bonding adhesive. Overall this is a long and intricate process but it offers a highly effective solution to the problem of lost teeth.

Teeth in a Day - the fast alternative to traditional implants!

Now it is possible to receive all of the benefits of traditional dental implants without the wait. Our revolutionary "teeth in a day" process uses bespoke implants and novel placement which means that we almost always avoid the need for bone augmentation and can place the implants and crowns all in the same day!

Statistics show a success rate greater than 96% for this procedure which has, up until very recently, only been available in the United States. However you can now reap the benefits of this confidence changing treatment expertly performed by our dental teams in Harley Street, London and Folkestone.