Teeth are set into jawbone. If the roots are lost due to for example tooth decay, the dentist can replace them with an artificial root: called an Implant. Implants are posts that are made of a body friendly material called Titanium.

Implants can be used for:

-Replacing a tooth.

-To replace more than one tooth, this is called a bridge implant.

-To help fix a denture also called  ‘click-on’ denture.

Who can have Implants?

Every healthy person can have implants, but there are some important requirements:

-Non-smoker.

-There has to be sufficient jawbone for the implant to grip. If there is insufficient bone, a bone transplant can take place before the dental implant. This procedure is done with your own bone or artificial bone, its also possible to use a mix of both artificial and own bone.

-The gums surrounding the remaining teeth must be healthy for an implant to function optimally. A very good dental hygiene is necessary! Plaque and calculus can cause an infection to the gums and this can result in losing the bone around the implant.

The procedure

After a local anaesthetic, the dentist will make a small incision into the gum, so that he can see the jawbone. He will then drill a small hole into the jawbone wherein the implant will be placed. The dentist places an abutment ‘lid’of titaninum on top of the implant and stiches the gum around the implant, the lid can be seen above the gum. Normally after this procedure discomfort  is minimal, but if necessary painkillers can be taken. Sometimes you can receive a pescription from the dentist. In few cases there can be swelling and/or a blood hemorrhage. We advies eating soft foods for a week after this procedure.