FAQs

After the Dental Implants are placed they are left to settle in place for three to six months. The final fitting of crowns or bridges or the attaching of dentures to the Dental Implants takes two or three appointments. The time depends on your individual situation and treatment.

We can sometimes place Dental Implants the same day teeth are removed and we can also sometimes place the crown (tooth) onto the implant the very same day. This is not always the case however and it is important that neither the patient nor the Dental Implant provider attempt to rush the treatment or try to advance the various stages faster than the time required for complete healing and maturation of bone and soft-tissues. Even treatment that is well planned and executed can fail as a result of moving too quickly from stage to stage.

Dental Implants can only be placed if there is enough bone present in the jaw. When teeth are lost, the bone around the teeth gradually disappears. If too much bone has been lost it is sometimes possible to grow bone in its place using your own bone or synthetic powder form bone. This is called a bone graft.

The implantologist will assess the amount of bone you have clinically in your mouth and with the use of x-rays or 3D scans before confirming on whether or not implants are possible in your mouth.

Dental Implants survive best in a healthy environment. Any tooth decay or gum problems need to be corrected, before Dental Implants can be placed to give them the best chance of success. This will involve advanced oral hygiene using special brushing methods with interproximal cleaning such as flossing or the use of interdental brushes. Some gum treatments may be necessary which can be carried out by our highly qualified hygienists. Despite advances in modern dentistry some teeth may have reached a stage where no treatment can save them. It is often best to remove these at an early stage particularly if you are thinking of having Dental Implants so as to prevent further bone loss.

If you have good general dental health then implants almost certainly would work for you. Both smoking and active gum disease reduce the survival of Dental Implants (and teeth). If you think that either of these two habits could be a problem for you and your Dental Implants, it may be advisable to avoid this form of dental treatment or accept the higher risk of Dental Implant failure.

For people who have no remaining teeth the options are:

• Complete Dentures- Acrylic or Cobalt Chrome
• Implant retained dentures which with a clip mechanism attached to the implants and the denture secure the dentures in place
• Full arch teeth in a day ( All on 4 )- a custom made fixed bridge held in by 4 Dental Implants. You do not remove these teeth, you just clean around them. This is the closest thing to having your own teeth again.

For people who have some of their own teeth the options are:

• Partial dentures supported by teeth
• Bridges supported by teeth
• Crowns and bridges supported by Dental Implants
• Partial Acrylic Denture
• Fixed Conventional Bridge
• Dental Implant + Crown

Generally having Dental Implants fitted is not at all painful. Local anaesthetic is used in the desired location and although you may feel pressure at times you should not feel any pain throughout the procedure. For apprehensive patients, sedation can be given making the procedure quite comfortable.

The after-effects of having Dental Implants placed are usually mild and may include slight bruising, dull ache and swelling. The amount of which will vary dependent upon the number of Dental Implants placed and the difficulty of the procedure.

When choosing a date for the Dental Implant placement, avoid significant social engagements and work commitments for at least a few days after. This is just to be on the safe side. Taking time off work is not usually necessary.

Denture wearers may require their dentures to be modified to prevent them resting on newly placed Dental Implants. During settling-in stages, metal framework dentures may need to be replaced with a plastic set as they are more easily adjustable. The fitting surface can then be altered when the Dental Implants are placed.

• Infection in the site due to poor oral hygiene and cleaning of the area
• Excessive pressure on the healing implants. Heavy chewing on the area or dentures rubbing against the region.
• Putting too much pressure on the implants too soon.
• Smoking can increase the risk of infection in the area and also cause more rapid bone loss around a healed implant.
• Uncontrolled Diabetes has also been shown to increase the rate of bone loss around implants, causing them to fail quicker.
• Very few implants fail due to none of the reasons above and just due to rejection from the body.

Unlike teeth, Dental Implants cannot get tooth decay. However, like teeth, they can suffer from gum problems. Teeth with untreated gum problems can become loose and be lost. This is also true of Dental Implants. To ensure that any problems are detected early, regular maintenance check-ups are advisable. Problems are more easily treated if detected early. Check–ups may be recommended three to six monthly or yearly. In most cases review appointments will be more frequent during the first year that the Dental Implants are in function.

Tooth cleaning has the primary objective by preventing bacteria from plaque growing down into the crevice between the gum and the Dental Implant post. This area must be physically cleaned at least twice a day around every Dental Implant.

In some cases the porcelain crown attached to Dental Implants may break as they can when attached to natural teeth. However, removal of crowns from Dental Implants for repair is usually easier than from natural teeth. Dental Implant crowns or bridges that become loose should be re-tightened immediately to reduce the likelihood of further unnecessary damage. Should it be discovered during a routine maintenance visit that a.

Should you notice any areas of soreness, discharge or pain on chewing near any Dental Implant or tooth you must immediately report this to the dentist responsible for your maintenance.

Dr Anish Patel performs our implant treatments. He achieved his diploma in Implantology at Eastman Dental Institute, one of the most highly regarded post-graduate institutes in the world. He graduated with distinction and was the youngest person to achieve the achievement at the time.

Now he works in 10 different clinics around London and the South East, performing implants and oral surgery. He often mentors other dentists, sharing his expertise. Anish has always believed in treating every patient is if they were his family. Patients have often commented that they felt reassured by his honesty.

He never compromises in the quality of materials used on his patients. He only uses reputable branded materials with a proven track record behind them.

Anish provides the full range of Dental Implants treatments from simple single tooth replacements to the All-on-4 Technique or “Teeth-in-a-day” enabling patients to benefit from this state of the art technique.

Anish looks forward to providing the highest level of dental care to all his patients, and would be happy to discuss the advantages of Dental Implants, and how they could dramatically change the way you smile and even the way you live.

Many people believe going abroad for their dental treatment can work out cheaper than having it done in the UK. We believe you should be made aware of why this is not the best long-term option for you.

GDC approved dentists only

A requirement of the UK Dental Regulator (General Dental Council) is that all dental professionals must be Registered with them to work in the UK and they set the standards that must be adhered to. You can rest assured that the treatment you receive here is to the highest standards. We can’t guarantee another organisation like this exists in other countries.

The costs rarely add up

The true cost in most cases is not the price displayed. They entice you with cheaper prices but the extra costs you will have to incur are never advertised. For example, you would need:

• At least 3 return flights to have the treatment completed.
• To pay for accommodation / hotel stay for the duration of your stay
• Time off work and using up your annual leave to go abroad

Factoring all this in, it is far more expensive than the £1150 (implant) + £600 (crown) you would spend here.

Mistakes would have to be fixed in the UK

Unfortunately UK dentists will have to ask you to return to the country the treatment was done to rectify it as we wouldn’t be able to take over your case. Dental Implants are a complicated treatment to perform well. Small things may need adjusting or attention to in the future. These small things can be extremely damaging if left but often very easy and quick to sort out. If your treatment is done here in the UK we can make any adjustments in minutes.

If you have had treatment abroad and your aftercare is in the UK then you are NOT being seen by the same dentist – which in the case of Dental Implant treatment can be catastrophic.

It is natural that after teeth have been removed the bone that once supported them slowly resorbs away. This occurs faster when prolonged gum problems have been present or poorly fitting dentures are being worn. The result is that there is sometimes not enough bone to support Dental Implants.

Bone grafting

When there is not enough bone present, it may be necessary to create new bone to fill in missing areas allowing Dental Implants to be fitted. A variety of techniques are available to do this and they are referred to as bone grafting.

If bone-grafting is needed, it will generally increase the time taken to complete treatment. If the bone grafting can completed at the same time as the Dental Implants, treatment is more likely to take six to twelve months. Where the Dental Implant placement must be delayed until after maturation of the bone graft, overall treatment may take twelve to eighteen months.

Socket preservation

We use a technique called guided tissue regeneration where the amount of bone at the intended Dental Implant site is less than ideal. When a tooth is removed, a hole in the gum and bone remains for the first few weeks. Anyone who has lost a tooth or had an extraction knows that this generally heals and eventually you cannot tell where the tooth was.

Guided tissue regeneration places a special membrane over the extraction socket which prevents the fast-growing soft tissue cells from entering the bony socket. This allows bone cells present beneath the membrane extra time to fill the socket without the soft tissues occupying the same space.

Sinus Augmentation

It is very common to find that the softer bone on the area above the upper back teeth (molars and sometime premolars) is very shallow and not suitable for normal Dental Implant procedures. To solve this problem, we use ‘sinus augmentation’ or ‘sinus lift’.

Bone may be successfully grown in the sinus spaces above your upper back teeth allowing Dental Implants to be placed. Synthetic bone substitutes, or bone from other areas of the mouth or body, is placed into these empty areas. Over a period of time, this is replaced by new bone thus providing a bed into which Dental Implants can be fixed.

If the amount of bone overlying the sinus is adequate, some surgeons prefer to place the Dental Implants at the same time as the grafting procedures. Whatever type of bone is added to the sinus, it must be left to mature before Dental Implants are placed or bought into function. If the Dental Implants are placed as a secondary procedure, (depending on the amount of bone being grown and the nature of the graft material used), they can be inserted after four to nine months, although occasionally it may be necessary to wait longer.

As with other bone grafting procedures, the Dental Implants are left to become firmly attached to the bone. Commonly a slightly extended healing period is chosen with an average of six to nine months before a denture or crown or bridgework is fitted. However, all bone grafting is unique to each individual and this information is for guidance only.