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.

Dental implants offer a permanent way for your dentist to replace your missing teeth. At our Marylebone dental clinic, Dr David Madruga Gonzalez can treat even the most complex of implant cases, restoring not just a beautiful smile but also full functionality to your jaw – meaning you can eat whatever you choose without having to worry about loose dentures.

Why you should consider dental implants

Missing teeth should always be replaced, as soon after tooth loss as possible. This is because not only does having gaps in your mouth affect your self-confidence, it can also have a negative impact on your diet and your ability to eat healthy foods, potentially impacting on your general health.

Gaps in the mouth often cause remaining teeth to move and become misaligned, which makes them more difficult to clean. This can lead to an increased risk of gum disease and tooth decay – and ultimately of further tooth loss.

At our Marylebone dental clinic, Dr Madruga can use dental implants to replace one, some, or even all of your natural teeth. Implants are the only permanent tooth replacement solution, and the only one that helps to prevent bone loss.

Bone loss is a common side-effect of having missing teeth, because without the tooth roots in place the jaw bone starts to shrink. Dental implants prevent this because they are in direct contact with the bone, and they are osteoconductive – supportive of bone growth.

In most cases, after implant placement – carried out under local anaesthetic or sedation at our Marylebone dental practice – a healing period of a couple of months is required, after which your dentist will attach new teeth to the implants.

These new teeth with look and function just like natural teeth, giving your jaw a new lease of life and restoring your confidence to smile.

Dental Implants are an excellent way for your dentist to replace one or more of your natural teeth. At Dr David Madruga Gonzalez’s Marylebone dental practice, we can use implants to restore not just the aesthetic appearance of your smile, but also full functionality to your jaw, enabling you to eat whatever you like and to speak, smile, and laugh with confidence.

How implant treatment works

Our teeth are made up of two parts – crowns and roots. Traditional dentures and bridges replace only the crown portion of a tooth, but dental implants are different. They are bionic tooth roots, placed straight into your jaw bone in a small surgical procedure, which is carried out here at our Marylebone clinic. New teeth – either crowns, bridges, or dentures – are then attached to abutments on top of your implants, producing a result that is as functional as it is natural-looking.

If you need to replace just a single tooth, we will usually place one implant and one crown. The good news for people with multiple or even all missing teeth is that you should not need as many dental implants as new teeth. In most cases one implant can support several new teeth; precision placement and meticulous planning mean that the minimal number of dental implants can be used to support a full arch of false teeth, able to withstand the forces generated by biting and chewing food.

Dr Madruga Gonzalez has successfully treated scores of implant patients over the course of many years at his Marylebone dental practice. He leads a team of dental professionals who will provide you with personalised treatment designed to suit your needs.

Thanks to Dr Madruga Gonzalez’s extensive experience and many years of research, we are able to treat even complex cases requiring guided bone regeneration here at our Marylebone practice.