It’s understandable that anyone opting for dental implants in Marylebone or indeed anywhere else in the country is going to feel somewhat anxious and a little nervous prior to their treatment and much of this is down to popular misconceptions that surround the industry. With this in mind, we felt that it would be a good idea to highlight some of these misconceptions so that people can have an informed opinion on the process.

Undergoing dental implant surgery is long and painful

Dental implant surgery can be relatively quick depending on the number of implants required and, contrary to popular belief, most people who undergo dental implant surgery feel no pain at all. Modern day dentistry is no longer about large needles and painful drilling. Instead carefully monitored and controlled sedation techniques keep the patient in a relaxed and care-free state, while most patients who undergo conscious sedation have no recollection of the surgery a all.

I’m over 70 years of age, therefore I’m way too old!

Some underlying factors will dictate that dental implants aren’t possible to fit, but these are more related to health. As a result the age of a patient is irrelevant. In fact many elder patients have told us how much they’ve benefited from having treatment for a dental implant in Marylebone and how much it’s changed their lives

It takes ages to recover from surgery

Another misconception is that the post-surgery recovery is both long and painful. Conversely, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Like any surgery, there may be some slight bruising and swelling but this won’t be the case with everyone. Often if there is any pain, then it can easily be dealt with using standard pain killers such as aspirin and paracetamol. In many cases where the patient has undergone a straightforward implant procedure with no bone grafts or sinus lifts then they can return to normal within 1-2 days.

I smoke, therefore I can’t have dental implant treatment!

Smoking is indeed problematic for dental implants as it can slow down bone growth which is vital to implant success. In addition, substances carried in tobacco can also breed bacteria which may be harmful to dental implants. That said, smokers may still be able to undergo treatment for dental implants providing that they stop smoking for a period of a few days before surgery and during the recovery period. Generally speaking each patient’s case will be assessed on merit.

Dental implants last a lifetime

This is one misconception that you’ll probably have heard the most. Despite popular belief there are no guarantees that implants will last a lifetime. The simple reason for this is that there are just too many factors that can directly impact on implant longevity. That said, what we do know is that the very first implants were fitted to a Swedish man called Gösta Larsson back in 1965 and his implants were functioning perfectly right up until his death in 2006. That’s a total of 41 years.

If you have missing teeth or are simply fed up with wearing dentures, then contact LXiR about dental implants in Marylebone. We’re a Marylebone dental clinic who have been fitting implants with great success for many years. So if you want to discuss your options then why not book a free no-obligation consultation. Call us on 020 7486 1010 or visit our website at www.davidmadrugaimplants.co.uk for further information.

Whether you undergo treatment for dental implants in Marylebone or your local High Street implant clinic, you can be assured that it isn’t going to be cheap. There are several reasons for this including the training and skill of the dentist fitting them, the cost of manufacturing the precision implant itself; and the ongoing care that comes with making sure your implants remain in good health. So is it true that the answer to lower-cost dental implants for many people lies abroad?

Lured by anecdotal evidence of high standards of care, professional looking websites and budget airlines undercutting each other to get cheaper flights to Europe, it’s no wonder that ‘dental tourism’ is big business. Unfortunately many people have returned from such trips with problems arising from initially shoddy treatment. Such is the scale of the problem that it’s caused the General Dental Council (GDC) to issue a set of guidelines for anyone contemplating getting cheap dental treatment abroad. The guidelines encourage the potential patient to ask some important questions such as…

• Does your dental tourism country of choice have a regulating body that all dentists have to adhere to?
• Who will provide the implant treatment and what are their qualifications?
• If problems do arise, just how easy is it to have any remedial work done?

This is not to suggest that every dental implant clinic in Europe is below par, and in fact there are many clinics that offer an excellent service. However unlike a dental implant in Marylebone, patients who decide to opt for treatment abroad won’t have the benefit of long-term planning, because this cheaper procedure is geared up specifically for a rapid service. Often patients have underlying gum problems which need to be dealt with first, yet because of the time constraint, many implants are placed directly into unhealthy gums. When this happens, there’s only ever going to be one outcome and that’s implant failure!

Add-on costs

Even though the initial cost of an implant may seem cheap, many foreign dentists will charge much more for remedial work. Not only this, a patient needing remedial work is going to have to add on expenses for accommodation and travel.

So for many, whilst the perception of undergoing treatment for dental implants in Marylebone may at first seem expensive, in theory it’s an altogether more practical solution that will save you money in the long-term.

If you want a successful outcome to your dental implant complete with good preparation, careful planning and continual care then contact David Madruga Implants. We’re a Marylebone clinic who have been effectively fitting dental implants for many years.

Full mouth rehabilitation involves using dental implants to replace all of your natural teeth. You may have lost all of your natural teeth due to tooth decay, gum disease or infection, or you may have been told that your teeth need to be extracted.

While once a full arch of dentures was the only solution, dental implants now offer an increasingly popular alternative. Implants have several benefits in such circumstances: they offer a solution that is predictable, safe and – with proper aftercare – long-lasting.

If you have been wearing traditional dentures for any period of time, you will be well aware that while they are beneficial, they come with their own set of issues. Imagine a life free of pastes, adhesives and laborious cleaning routines, a life where you can enjoy all of your favourite foods and laugh or smile with confidence, without fearing your dentures will slip. Full mouth rehabilitation with dental implants is making this life a reality for increasing numbers of patients.

Advances in dental technology and materials means that we can now help more patients than ever to restore their smile, using fixed implant-supported restorations.

If you are interested in full mouth rehabilitation, the first step is to book a consultation with Dr Madruga, a highly experienced implant practitioner.

Every patient’s needs will be slightly different, so after your initial assessment, a great deal of personalised planning is involved. This may include using CT scans and, if bone has been lost, additional procedures such as bone augmentation or sinus lifts to give your implants the best chance of success.

Implants are then placed in the jawbone in a minor surgical procedure, carried out here at the practice under local anaesthetic or sedation. You may be given provisional restorations, such as temporary bridges or dentures, to allow your implants to fully integrate with the bone. This ensures a stable base for your permanent restorations.

After a healing period of a few months, your final restorations will be placed. You will walk out of the practice with a brand new smile that you’ll want to show off, and will be given detailed aftercare instructions. With good oral hygiene, your implants will last you many years – perhaps even a lifetime.

Missing teeth should always be replaced. Ask any dentist and they will tell you the same thing. There are many tooth replacement options available at our Marylebone dental practice, provided by leading cosmetic and implant dentist Dr David Madruga.

Here, we look at why dental implants are often the perfect solution to missing teeth.

Why missing teeth should be replaced

When one or more of our natural teeth is lost, through accident, injury, tooth decay or gum disease, our remaining teeth are put under additional strain when biting and chewing food. These teeth are also prone to movement, shifting into any gaps and becoming crooked in the process. This makes them more difficult to clean, which in turn raises the risk of further tooth decay and gum disease and, ultimately, further tooth loss.

Whether you choose dental implants, a standard bridge or traditional dentures, replacing your missing teeth will help to prevent these problems. We offer a wide range of tooth replacement solutions at our Marylebone dental clinic, so the choice of restoration is yours.

Why implants?

Implants have numerous advantages over other tooth replacement products, with one of the key ones being that implants are the only permanent way to replace your missing teeth. These small titanium screws are placed directly in your jaw bone in a minor operation here at our Marylebone practice. After a healing period your clinician will then attach permanent new teeth on top.

Implants are the only way to replace missing tooth roots, which are vital to jaw bone health. Without the roots in place, your jaw bone is likely to shrink back, which can make traditional dentures loose.

Dental implants stop the problem of bone loss, keeping your new teeth firmly in place. They also enable you to eat a full, healthy diet, and to smile with confidence.

Dental implants are a thoroughly modern solution for patients who have lost one or more of their natural teeth. Dr David Madruga is a leading implant dentist based in Marylebone, London, who has helped countless patients to restore both aesthetics and functionality to their smile with the help of implants.

Why choose dental implants?

Dental implants are the only permanent way to replace missing teeth. Implantology is one of the fastest-growing areas of modern dentistry, and since implants first started being used some 30 years ago, more and more patients are benefitting from using implants to replace their missing teeth.

At his Marylebone dental practice, Dr Madruga is able to treat even complex cases in patients who have experienced bone loss. In the past it was common for patients who did not have sufficient bone density for implant treatment – perhaps after wearing traditional dentures for some years – to be turned away and told they were unsuitable for dental implants. Some dentists still do this today.

However, implantology is continuously advancing, and Dr Madruga is able to offer a number of additional treatments at his Marylebone clinic, including bone regeneration and sinus lifts, to rebuild jaw bone density to a level that is sufficient to support dental implants.

Bone loss commonly occurs when the root portion of the teeth is not replaced. Standard dentures and bridges replace the crowns of the teeth, but with no replacement for the root the jaw bone begins to resorb or shrink back. Dental implants are bionic tooth roots, made from titanium, which is highly supportive of bone growth. Placed directly in the jaw bone by your dentist, the implants help to stop bone resorbtion and provide a firm, stable anchor for new teeth in the form of implant-secured dentures, bridges or crowns.

With good aftercare and regular dentist and hygienist visits, your implants and new teeth could last you for life.

From a professional standpoint, extraction is always the last resort. Dentists exhaust all options to preserve the existing tooth and repair it with a crown or other restorative measure. But some teeth are beyond repair. In such cases, extraction is absolutely necessary.

The reason dentists avoid extraction is because losing the natural tooth prompts a series of dental problems, including loss of function and bone resorption, a process that naturally happens after a tooth has been extracted or lost.

The reason behind bone loss

The bone requires activity and stimulation to maintain its volume and density. In the case of the alveolar bone, the necessary stimulation comes from the teeth.

Our teeth create multiple contacts with each other every day, causing small tensions that enable the continuous rebuilding of the bone. This stimulation occurs through the periodontal ligament that holds the tooth in its socket.

When you lose a tooth, you can be losing some of this stimulation. As a result, the alveolar bone loses weight, height, and volume. Around 25% of bone width will be gone within the first year. Over the next few years, the bone height shrinks by about 4-mm. If not addressed on time, bone volume will continue to decrease as gum tissue will also gradually decrease.

The impact of bone loss

The most apparent effect involves the tooth’s functionality, interfering with the person’s ability to chew and speak. As it continually deteriorates, your tooth loses more and more functionality. In addition to functional problems, it can also result in life-changing cosmetic issues, especially in edentulous or toothless patients.

The solution to keep the bone healthy

To arrest bone loss, patients need to recover the stimulation of the remaining bone tissue. Revival of stimulation is possible through dental implants, which merge and fuse with the tissues and re-stimulate them. Implants act as strong and stable foundation to support a crown, bridge, or overdentures.

Your new teeth will not only look natural, but implants can also improve bite support, restore chewing efficacy, and prevent shifting of the vital teeth, thus reducing stress on the remaining teeth.

To know if dental implants are a viable option for you, book a consultation with Dr David Madruga Gonzalez today.