If you have lost all or some of your natural teeth, chances are you will be feeling that not just your teeth are missing.Despite medical advancements in tooth care, tooth loss remains a prevalent problem in the UK – mostly due to tooth decay, gum disease or injury.

Tooth loss can cause a ‘sunken’ look to the face and can also cause problems with eating and drinking. Tooth loss also often affects speech.

Until recent years, the only treatment available was dentures or bridges, but technological advances now mean that you can now take advantage of the dentalimplant process in Marylebone.

The dental implant process in Marylebone

At David Madruga, Marylebone, the dental implant process always begins with a consultation with one of our dental professionals. At the initial consultation, we will assess the feasibility of providing implant treatment and discuss the treatment options available. Digital x-rays may be required and models of your teeth created. A written plan would then be produced, detailing the sequence of treatment and associated costs. We will then discuss the proposed plan with you before starting treatment.

The implant

A simple minor surgical procedure for placement of the dental implants is then carried out. This treatment can be carried out under sedation to make the process even more comfortable. If after the initial assessment, the underlying bone is judged to be deficient, several options are available for bone regeneration. This may be carried out prior to, or at the same time as,the dental implant process in Marylebone.

Integration

We suggest that a period of three to six months be allowed for the implant to fully integrate and fuse to the surrounding jawbone before completing the dental implant process in Marylebone. The patient’s own denture, or in some cases a simple adhesive bridge, can be worn during this healing phase, which is called osseointegration. This process is fundamental to the longevity of your dental implants.

After the osseointegration has occurred, you are then ready for an abutment to be placed. This holds your crown or bridge in place on your dental implant. When this is done, you will be ready to show off your dazzling new smile, created by David Madruga and enjoyed by you.

If you lose a tooth or have to have one removed because of injury, accident or decay, the chances are you will want to replace it sooner rather than later. Particularly if the tooth concerned is near the front of your mouth, you may be left self-conscious about smiling if you have to live with a gap for any length of time.

There are also several health benefits for replacing a lost tooth with a dental implant as soon as possible. When teeth are lost, the bone beneath the gaps will resorb or shrink back over time, which can cause a sunken appearance to the face and can make the placement of implants more complicated – requiring a bone graft or sinus lift – in the long term.

Thanks to advances in dental implant techniques and technology, it is now often possible to place a dental implant at the same appointment as having a failing or broken tooth removed.

In some cases it is even possible to place both implants and restorations (new teeth) on the same day as having a tooth or teeth extracted. This is known as immediate loading, and systems such as Same Day Teeth are a popular choice for suitable patients, reducing both time spent in the surgery and overall expenses.

This can be particularly beneficial to patients who have lost a tooth though, for example, a sports injury sustained through not wearing a mouthguard, an accident or a failed root canal treatment. It will not be suitable for every patient, and some people will benefit from the healing time of conventional implants (between six and nine months) during which time the implant integrates fully with the bone to provide a strong base for your restorations.

If you opt for immediate placement, here’s how it will work:

• Your dentist will remove your failing or broken tooth/teeth under local anaesthetic or sedation
• Your dental implant(s) will then be placed, again under local anaesthetic or sedation
• If you are suitable for immediate loading, your restorations will be placed immediately; alternatively, you may be given temporary restorations whilst healing takes place
• You will be provided with full aftercare advice and any follow-up appointments to help ensure your implants’ success

Just imagine walking into the dental practice in the morning with missing or failing teeth, and walking out the same day with a brand new set of teeth that look and act like their natural counterparts. Sounds too good to be true? Thanks to Same Day Teeth, this fantasy is becoming a reality for increasing numbers of dental implant patients.

Standard dental implants usually require a series of appointments spread out over a number of weeks or months while healing occurs. During this time the implants integrate with the jawbone to provide firm anchorage for your final replacement teeth – crowns, bridges or dentures.

With Same Day Teeth, the final restorations (replacement/false teeth) are placed on the same day as your dental implants, meaning you walk out of the practice the very same day with a brand new smile that you’ll want to show off. Same Day Teeth is not suitable for all cases, so we’ll discuss your suitability for this treatment at your initial implant consultation.

Same Day Teeth are non-removable, meaning they are fixed in place and provide the full functionality of natural teeth. The result is a beautiful, natural looking, natural-acting smile.

The good news is that you will not need an implant for every replacement tooth. In most cases we use four or six implants – depending on how much bone you have – and attach a fixed provisional bridge comprising several teeth.

Our expert team carefully position and angle the implants so that nerves and other important anatomic structures are avoided, while the forces created by biting and chewing food are evenly distributed across the implants, ensuring no one area comes under excessive strain.

Same Day Teeth have been proven to have a 98% success rate after five years in one arch of the mouth. With proper care, they are an excellent option for many patients with missing teeth.

Dental implants have a very high success rate (up to 98%). The implants and their restorations look and act just like natural teeth – and just like natural teeth, they require good oral healthcare to increase the chances of success, and to keep them in good condition.

If you have lost one or more teeth once you won’t want it to happen again, which is why it is important to follow your dentist’s aftercare instructions carefully. Looking after your implants properly requires teamwork between your dentist, your hygienist and yourself with a strong home care routine.

Your implants will require regular maintenance appointments, just like your teeth require regular dental appointments to keep them healthy and to spot any potential problems as early as possible. You will be provided with full aftercare instructions once your implants have been fitted, and so long as you follow these carefully, your implants are unlikely to fail.

However, should this start to happen, spotting it early is the best way to avoid further complications. Early signs of failure will be identified with regular dental examinations and x-rays to monitor how well the implant is integrating with the bone. You may need to come for a check-up more frequently than the standard six months recommended for regular dental examinations, and you should always follow this advice to increase the chances of your implants succeeding. If anything unusual is spotted we are usually able to correct it with minor remedial treatment.

As well as attending regular follow-up appointments with your dentist, you should also make regular visits to the hygienist. The implant-restored teeth are no more difficult to clean than natural teeth, but there may still be areas that are difficult to reach. Your hygienist can help you clean these difficult areas, and will recommend the best products and techniques to use at home to maximise the chances of your implants’ success.

Dental implants are an excellent option for patients with missing teeth. At our Marylebone dental practice, implant dentist Dr David Madruga Gonzalez can replace one, some, or all of your missing teeth using implants – even if you have already experienced some bone loss.

Your own dentist may have told you that they cannot place dental implants because you lack bone density. Bone loss is a very common side-effect of losing your teeth, which happens because without the tooth roots in place the jaw bone is likely to start to resorb (shrink back). Whilst this can make implant surgery more complex, by no means is it impossible.

Dr Madruga Gonzalez accepts referrals of complex implant cases at his Marylebone clinic. Using the latest technology, he will first assess the level of bone density in the relevant jaw, before drawing up a customised treatment plan.

Bone grafts and sinus lifts

Bone grafts and sinus lifts are two procedures that are used to rebuild the density of the bone in the lower or upper jaw prior to the placement of dental implants. Dr Madruga Gonzalez has carried out many such procedures successfully here at our Marylebone dental practice.

Bone graft material may be your own bone from another site in your mouth, or may be a bone substitute biomaterial – which may be of animal or synthetic origin. This procedure is usually used in the lower jaw, whilst a sinus lift involves lifting the sinus cavity and packing the space with bone graft material.

These procedures are carried out under sedation at our Marylebone clinic. In some cases, dental implants may be placed at the same time, whilst in other cases, a healing period is required, after which your implants will be placed in a standard, minor surgical procedure.