Dental Implants – London

Who Can Get Dental Implants in London

Your suitability for dental implants depends on several factors, including:

• Amount of bone available: The future dental implant site should have sufficient bone quantity and quality to support the implant. If there is insufficient bone, a bone graft surgery may be necessary.
• Medical condition: Certain medical conditions may contraindicate surgeries, such as patients on anticoagulants or those with conditions that may delay healing, like uncontrolled diabetes, radiotherapy, and smoking. It is better to address these conditions first before getting your dental implants.
• Gum diseases: advanced gum diseases can cause bone resorption, which may affect the bone surrounding the dental implant and lead to implant failure. This is why gum therapy before dental implant placement is essential.
• Age: Dental implants have no age restrictions; however, they cannot be used in patients under 18 years old due to ongoing jaw growth. This is why dental implants are recommended starting from 18 years with no maximum age limit.

In conclusion, anyone over 18 who is generally healthy, and does not have active gum disease is a suitable candidate for dental implants. If you have any conditions that contraindicate dental implants, we can address those issues first before considering them.

Dulwich Dental Office: Leading Dental Implants in London

Using the most advanced techniques available to date we are proud that our implantology team has completed 5000+ Dental Implant placements and has over 30 years combined experience. Our cosmetic dentistry specialists in London combine pioneering technology and a multidisciplinary clinical approach in every case, from your initial consultation to your surgery and maintenance. The dental implant process involves the following phases:

1. Consultation phaseOur dental experts will start by gathering information about your medical history and oral condition. Any medical issues affecting your dental implant healing should be addressed first. The number of missing teeth, the amount of bone at the intended implant site, and the condition of the gums are essential factors considered before planning for four implants.

   Then, we will take a CT scan of your jaws and teeth. These three-dimensional images will allow us to evaluate whether your jawbone can provide the necessary stability for an implant and assist us in identifying the ideal placement for it. If insufficient bone exists at the implant site, additional bone graft surgery will be included in your treatment plan.

2. Treatment planning phaseDuring this phase, our dental experts will thoroughly examine all the collected data to assess all parameters related to your dental implants to achieve successful treatment. The number, size, and angulation of suitable implants will be selected, along with determining your need for bone graft surgery and identifying the most appropriate restoration.

   Backed up with our advanced CAD/CAM software, a surgical stent will be fabricated. A surgical stent is a guiding tray used to guide the dental surgeon during implant drilling for the locations and directions previously selected during treatment planning.

   Before your surgery, you will be encouraged to reduce smoking. Smoking hurts soft tissue healing by reducing blood supply which may increase the chances of implant failure.

3. Surgical phaseOur staff will be ready for you on the day of your implant surgery, having set up a fully sterile surgical environment. Our specialist staff are highly trained to guarantee that every part of the environment is sterile.

   We may supply antibiotics and preventive pain medication, such as sedation drugs, to avoid any pain during the procedure. We will meticulously prepare for your surgery, first reviewing the treatment plan to make sure that everything is in order, then anaesthetizing the area to be treated.

   A tiny incision is made, and the soft tissue is retracted to reveal the ridge of the bone. We would have planned the exact placement of the dental implant and will position it directly, with the assistance of the surgical guide.

   After accomplishing initial implant stability, soft tissue closure will be done using various techniques to ensure a tension-free wound. In some cases, soft tissue grafting may be done where there is a shortage of soft tissue for closure or where it would be of aesthetic benefit.

   After your surgery, a radiograph might be taken to confirm your implant’s final placement, and you will be discharged.

   To ensure smooth healing, our dental experts recommend the following instructions:

• Avoid spitting for 24 hours after surgery.
• After 24 hours, rinse your mouth with warm saline after every meal to remove any food debris.
• Use ice packs for 20 min on/20 minutes off to avoid swelling.
• Use the prescribed medications that may involve painkillers and antibiotics.
• Avoid smoking for at least 5 days after surgery.
• Avoid strenuous activities for 3-4 days.
• Follow a soft diet in the first few days and avoid hard foods such as popcorn and nuts.
• Drink plenty of fluids.

4. Restoration phaseRestoration of your dental implants may be performed through one of two techniques:

   Immediate loading: A temporary restoration is loaded during the healing period. After complete healing, the final restoration is constructed. This technique is used in cases where the conditions are favored, and initial stability of the dental implants could be achieved after implant insertion. This is also known as teeth in a day or same-day implants.

   Delayed loading: In some cases, it may not be favorable to expose the implants to any load unless complete healing and osseointegration are completed. In this case, the soft tissue is sutured over the dental implants to allow for total healing and osseointegration, and then the implants are exposed to fabricate the final restoration.

Dental Implants Solutions

Dental implants offer a solution to restore many cases of missing teeth, they may be used as:

1. Single tooth implant: when a single tooth is missing, it can be compensated for using a single dental implant with a crown mounted on it without affecting the neighboring teeth.
2. Multiple teeth implants: There are two types of restorative solutions for multiple missing teeth. Either replace every missing tooth with a dental implant or replace two of the missing teeth using dental implants and restore the remaining teeth using a bridge supported by the dental implants.
3. Full arch reconstruction: If all the teeth are missing, full-arch restoration can be performed using either an All-On-4 or All-On-6 dental implant technique. Where the complete denture is supported either by 4 or 6 dental implants according to the case, it may be constructed to be either fixed or removable.

If you are considering dental implants, we offer free no-obligation consultations to every patient. This allows you to explore your options and receive personalised advice. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions you’d like before considering all the information and advice in your own time. Book your free consultation here.

We are specialists in Dental Implants in Dulwich and across South London, Dr Javier Perez is the Lead Dental Implantology clinician at 3 practices undertaking both simple and complex dental implantology cases to replace anything from 1 missing tooth to a full arch reconstruction. Using the most advance techniques available to date we are proud that our implantology team has completed over 5000 Dental Implant Placements and has over 30 years combined experience. Our cosmetic dentistry specialists in Dulwich combine pioneering technology and a multidisciplinary clinical approach in every case, from your initial consultation to your surgery and maintenance. We provide cosmetic dentistry treatments including dental implants in Dulwich, Brixton, Crystal Palace, Camberwell, Herne Hill, Honor Oak, Orpington,  Peckham, Streatham, Upper Sydenham and across South London.