Replacing a single missing tooth with dental implants in Brentwood
Did a football match get out of hand and you lost a tooth on the field? Or was it another accident where you had a tooth fall out that couldn’t later be found or even if it was simply long term decay that led to you needing to have a tooth removed. Walking around with a gap in your smile can be a difficult and confidence-degrading situation but thankfully with dental implants in Brentwood, you don’t have to endure this for long.
What is a dental implant?
Dental implants in Brentwood replace the whole tooth, from root to tip, allowing your body to maintain the bone structure in your face while also giving a false tooth something to fit securely onto. The root part of this false tooth is the implant itself that is made of titanium which is a strong metal alloy that is seldom rejected by the human body as human bone steadfastly fuses with and grows onto this substance with great enthusiasm thus providing a secure base for a new false tooth to be fitted onto.
What is a false tooth?
A false tooth is the bit of the tooth that you see above the gum that is used just like your natural teeth to bite and chew food. It is made of dental porcelain and will be custom fit to your dental arch to not only match the size and colour of your other teeth but even the transparent quality of natural teeth which is easily mimicked by this material. This tooth replica will fit securely onto the implant by means of an abutment.
What is an abutment?
An abutment is like a screw within a screw. Once the body has healed from implant surgery (this healing usually takes around 6 months) we can attach the abutment to the inside of the implant; while the implant sits beneath the gum in the bone. The abutment sits atop the gum but is secured in the implant to provide a solid base for a false tooth to be clipped onto, because the false tooth is not the part that goes into the bone, if it is broken or cracked you won’t need surgery again, simply a new tooth fitted to this abutment.
How long do they last?
Because titanium doesn’t tarnish, dental implants in Brentwood can last for your entire life which makes them far more reliable than natural teeth which are constantly at risk of decay or infection within the pulp. This is a sound investment in your oral health as failing to replace a missing tooth can lead to significant bone loss which may affect how your face ages and also have negative effects on the teeth surrounding the gap as they may become loose and fall out.
The procedure
Surgery is required to place a dental implant into your jaw and for those patients who are nervous, we can offer sedation to help keep you calm through the entire process. After numbing the area we will cut open the gum to expose the bone which we will then drill into to place the implant. We may fit the abutment at this stage, it depends on your individual case and bone density. You will then need to wait 6 months for the healing process to be complete where the bone fuses to the titanium but don’t worry about any gaps, we will provide a temporary crown for you in order to complete the look of the dental arch while you wait for healing. During a second appointment, we will fit the false tooth and the process will be complete.