Missing a tooth doesn’t have to mean a lifetime of wearing dentures. We can help you….

If you have reached a stage in your life where you are aware that your teeth are deteriorating significantly, you might be dreading the day when your dentist tells you that a tooth, or teeth, need to be removed.

It is likely that you will then start to think about wearing dentures, and all the inconvenience of cleaning them; to say nothing of them moving about in your mouth just at the wrong time.

Dentures are no longer the only option available though. Dental implants have become much more widely used over the last ten years or so, and are the first choice for many patients of Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic. The fact that we also have our own onsite laboratory, established for over fifty years, may help patients to feel reassured that they will receive a first class service should they choose this excellent tooth replacement option.

Why not dentures?

The fact is that you can usually still have dentures if you so wish. They do have some advantages in that it is one of the cheaper options available and also usually involves no invasive dental surgery, something that might appeal to anxious patients for example. There are significant trade offs though.

As briefly mentioned earlier, dentures are not always as stable as patients would like them to be, and they can move around in the mouth a little at times. This can cause difficulty in eating certain foods, and potentially soreness of the gums from friction caused by their movement. They may also affect speech to a degree. They also require quite a lot of care and attention, and cleaning them can be fiddly as it has to be done externally. There is also the fact that, although initially cheaper, damage to dentures is not uncommon, often due to dropping them while cleaning. Over the years, this can cause the cost to rise as replacements are needed or they need to be repaired.

Finally, tooth loss means that the bone in the jaw will start to disappear as it no longer needs to hold the tooth in place. This can cause small changes to the shape of your face but if a number of teeth are lost, this can be quite significant.

Dental implants

What advantages then, do dental implants have over dentures? In fact, the benefits are numerous and although they initially cost more to place initially, they often work out as good value for money due to their longevity. Implants can last for twenty years or more if you look after them well, as directed by us, and we even offer a dental implant guarantee to our patients, which is dependent on good maintenance and regular professional monitoring.

The main benefit that most teeth implant wearers find is that, after a brief ‘getting used to them’ period, they can forget that they have them and treat them almost exactly as they would a natural tooth. This means that they won’t have to worry about what they eat as the implants are extremely strong and won’t move around in the mouth once fully integrated. Even cleaning becomes much more straightforward and all that is required on a daily basis is a good brushing regime and using floss to minimise the risk of periodontal diseases – this includes peri-implantitis which can also affect implants. Doing this daily and maintaining regular appointments with both the dentist and hygienist means that there is no reason why you shouldn’t have healthy implants for a long time to come.

What of the procedure though? Is this something that nervous patients should be afraid of?  We would say ‘no’ to this although we do understand why some people might feel this way. There is a feeling amongst a small number of patients that the idea of placing a screw-like object into the jawbone, for a crown to be attached to, sounds incredibly painful indeed. We aren’t going to pretend that you won’t feel anything at all, but, with a local anaesthetic and the availability of sedation where appropriate, you shouldn’t experience any major discomfort, although you may well experience some sensation as the implant is placed.

There is likely to be some initial soreness afterwards, and potentially some bruising, but this will subside and can usually be managed with your usual pain killing medication. As the implant integrates with the bone, your body will soon adapt and although the initial experience may not exactly have been something you would do for fun, it is worth remembering that this small ‘sacrifice’ can provide you with twenty years plus of a strong and stable tooth replacement that doesn’t have the disadvantages that dentures often do.

We don’t expect anyone to choose dental implants for the first time lightly, and we offer initial consultations where we can determine if you are a suitable candidate. This is also an excellent opportunity for you to ask any questions that might concern you. If you would like to arrange a consultation with one of our Canterbury implant dentists, please call Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic on 01227 463529.