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Perhaps it is the inbuilt orthodoxy of my dental education, but I believe that teeth are important and where possible, need to be saved. But what happens when this is simply no longer an option, what can be done? Dental implants Cambridge can come to the rescue!

Restoration of your smile

An oral implant is a restorative technique that allows a gap in your smile to be filled with a prosthetic tooth and a titanium post which fuses directly into the jawbone. The prosthesis itself is similar to a porcelain crown; where they differ is that crowns are dependent on a healthy stable tooth to be mounted upon, whereas these dental implants Cambridge require no remaining tooth structure at all, not even a vacant socket. Thus allowing teeth that have been lost, perhaps decades ago, to be replaced.

What is an implant like to live with?

When restorative techniques come along, particularly those which involve prosthetics like dentures, these often need to be removed and cleaned and occasionally even integrated to the surrounding teeth to offer support, like wired bridges. Bridges put additional stress on the  adjoining teeth, reducing their life span, as well as requiring a different brushing technique to make sure food particles and debris trapped under the bridge are removed. There are some foods which are entirely inappropriate, like sticky toffee treacle and caramelised sugar, thus limiting diet.

Thankfully none of this is required with implants; the stabilised prosthetics are truly the closest experience a patient can have to turning back the clock and getting their natural teeth back. They require the same 6 month check-ups as any normal teeth, as well as everyday toothpaste and brushing techniques. This, combined with them being permanently fixed into the jaw, can lead to them quickly feeling part of the patient. With the attention to detail I give to matching the  enamel and wear quality with remaining original teeth, even friends and family would be hard pressed to point out an implant among natural teeth.

Implants over the long term

After completion of the procedure, dental implants Cambridge can be expected to last 15 or more years with good maintenance. Over that time period they become an excellent investment as lesser prosthetics, even crowns, have a significantly shorter lifespan and would require reconstruction or replacement.

The long-term effects avoided with an implant over standard partial dentures is the loss of bone mass of the underlying jaw; the forces and stress that we put on teeth every day are transmitted down the root and into the jawbone. With the absence of a tooth, those forces no longer need to be borne and your body begins to reabsorb the bone mass of the jaw for significant gaps. This can have a demoralising effect on the face, giving a gaunt appearance. If you would like to find out more information on my past work in helping patients restore their smiles, or just have a general question about immobilised oral prosthetics, please feel free to get in contact with my practice.