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Dental Implants
What Are Dental Implants?
A dental implant is a small fixed titanium screw that is surgically inserted into the site of tooth loss. As months go on, our dental implants are then left to fuse with the jawbone – creating a solid foundation for your new tooth. Once this is completed, a porcelain crown or bridge is secured to your implant, and with good care it should last for many years!
The latest techniques in placing dental implants have made them a reliable and effective replacement for missing teeth. Dental implants are a new generation of teeth that now can become your third set of teeth.
Dental implants can be used to replace one tooth or an entire arch of teeth.
Shire Doctors and Dentists offer a free dental implant consultation, contact our friendly team today.
We offer:
FREE Dental Implant Consultations
Book a free consultation with one of our experienced and friendly dentists at Shire Doctors and Dentists. Your dentist will examine your teeth and jawbone and explain to you what the appropriate steps are, tailored to your situation.
Dental implants have great advantages, including:
Improved aesthetics.
Dental implants feel and look like your own teeth.
Durability.
Implants are very durable and will last many years. With good care, many implants last a lifetime.
Improved self esteem.
Dental implants give you back your smile which can give you a boost of confidence. They help you feel confident in yourself.
Improved speech.
Poor fitting dentures can cause problems with your speech, for instance, to mumble or slur your words. With dental implants, you will have no trouble with your speech as they will feel and look like your own teeth.
Improved oral health.
Dental implants do not mean cutting other teeth, as a tooth supported bridge does. Dental implants also allow quick access between teeth, improving oral hygiene that leads to long-term oral health.
Improved comfort and convenience.
Because dental implants are fixed, they eliminate the discomfort of removable dentures which can make chewing quite difficult. Dental implants work like your own teeth, allowing you to eat your favourite foods and enjoy them with confidence and no pain or messy adhesives to keep them in place.
Can anyone get dental implants?
Any individual that is healthy enough to undergo a routine dental extraction or oral surgery can be considered for a dental implant. Patients must have healthy gums and enough bone to support the implant. They also must be committed to good oral hygiene and attend a regular dental check up and clean.
An individual who is suffering or has suffered from uncontrolled chronic diseases such as diabetes, advanced gum disease or heavy smokers, patients using medication for osteoporosis, patients who have had radiation therapy to the head/neck area, or heart disease must be evaluated on an individual basis. If you are considering implants, talk to our dentists at Shire Doctors and Dentists to see if they are right for you.
What is the success rate of dental implants?
The success rate of dental implants generally depends on the quantity and quality of the supporting bone. However, dental implants have shown a high success rate of up to 97%.
Does insurance cover the cost of dental implants?
Dental implants are considered as a major dental treatment and the rebate for them is capped to different limits by numerous insurance providers. After a comprehensive consultation with your dentist and taking a 3D scan of your jawbones, we will then provide you with a detailed treatment plan which you can use to communicate with your insurer.
What is involved in getting a dental implant?
The first step in the dental implant process is collecting important information and creating a customisable treatment plan by your dentist. Then a small titanium post is placed into the bone in the place of your missing tooth. As the jawbone heals, it grows around the titanium post, anchoring it securely in the jaw. The healing process can take anywhere between 6 to 12 weeks.
Once the implant has become integrated with the jawbone, a small connector post called an abutment is connected to the post to securely hold the new tooth. Your dentist will then take impressions of your teeth, take your natural tooth shade and create a model of your bite. A replacement tooth ‘a crown’, will be made and then attached to the abutment. The entire process of making a crown can take up to two weeks.
Instead of one or more individual crowns, some patients may have attachments placed on the implant that retain and support a removable denture.
Do I need a bone graft and why?
Bone grafting is used to replace and improve the bone contours around implants. As bone is an implant’s best friend, we sometimes need more of it to improve the longevity, aesthetics and long-term comfort for our patient. When one loses a tooth, nature is very quick to begin the process of atrophy. Bone grafting aims is to encourage your own body to create mature and solid bone in a position where it otherwise wouldn’t have. Two types of grafts are used, artificial bone or osteoinductive/conductive material. Your dentist will explain to you what option is suitable for you.
What is Sinus Lifting?
A sinus means an air filled space encapsulated within the bone. There is a sinus above the apices of our molar teeth in the upper jaw called maxillary sinus. When the upper molar teeth are lost. 2 things can happen that complicate replacing them by a dental implant; loss of the volume of jaw bone because of tooth loss and also a downward expansion of the maxillary sinus.
A great way to increase this volume is to lift the floor of the sinus back up to where it was. This process is called a sinus lift.
The careful lifting of the sinus membrane means a cavity can simply be filled with bone, artificial bone or osteoinductive/conductive material. Implants can often be placed simultaneously with a very high success rate.
This is a highly common procedure as the posterior maxilla is efficient to give up its bone volume after tooth loss.
How painful is a dental implant surgery?
Most people who have received dental implants say that there is little to no discomfort during the procedure. Local anesthesia can be used during the procedure, and most patients report that implants experience less pain than a tooth extraction. At Shire Doctors and Dentists, we offer conscious sedation (twilight sedation) for implant surgeries if you wish to be sedated during the procedure.
After the anesthetic wears off, mild soreness can be treated with behind the counter pain killers, such as Nurofen or Panadol.
How should I care for my dental implants?
Dental implants mean that you should be caring the same care as you would for real teeth, including brushing, flossing, rinsing with an antibacterial mouthwash, and regular dental check ups and cleans.
Contact Shire Doctors and Dentists on 02 9063 8650 and one of our friendly staff members will be more than happy to assist you.