If you are troubled by bothersome gaps in your teeth, don’t despair, we can help fill them with natural looking replacement teeth supported by dental implants.
Implants (the dental kind) are an extremely effective way to eliminate a gappy smile, make your mouth work much better (in terms of chatting and chewing) and maintain the density of your jawbone. They are basically mini metal posts (usually made from famously tough titanium) that are placed in the jawbone to provide a solid foundation for fresh new teeth.
Incredible implants – the benefits at a glance
- They can help maintain the quality of your jawbone – as missing teeth can cause bone to shrink.
- Help keep existing teeth in place and prevent them from twisting and turning.
- Unlike crowns, they avoid the need to remove a healthy layer of tooth.
- Speaking and eating become a breeze.
- No need to put up with ill-fitting dentures with their associated slipping and sliding, and propensity to pop out.
Am I an implant kind of guy/gal?
We can only tell if you’ll be a good a match for implants when you have attended a consultation. Dental implants have a high success rate and are suitable for most people with incomplete smiles, but there are a few factors that may affect your suitability:
- The quality of your bone and supporting tissue – as implants need to be held firmly in place. If your bone density isn’t up to scratch, don’t be too disheartened – we may be able to offer other ways to help such as bone grafting or by inserting the implants in a way that takes advantage of the thicker areas of bone.
- The health of your remaining teeth and general oral hygiene, including your gums – so keep ‘em clean!
- Your overall health – if you are a heavy smoker or suffer from diabetes this method may not work for you. Your immune system needs to be able to cope with the surgical procedure and subsequent healing.
If implants are going to be your thing, this is what happens:
- We insert the implants into your jawbone using simple surgical procedure but don’t worry, we will make sure the area is fully numbed with a local anaesthetic.
- Your gum is stitched up so it will heal over the embedded implant.
- Over a few months, the hidden implant will fuse neatly with your bone for a super snug fit and so it becomes a replacement tooth root.
- When this substitute root is ready to go, it will support an artificial crown or bridge that will blend in beautifully with your natural choppers.
Once your implants are fully settled in and new teeth has been attached, just treat them like the real thing with plenty of brushing and flossing. We’ll also give you some implant care tips for a smile that goes on and on….
Interested? Give us a call on 0131 229 2040 to find out how we can eliminate those glaring gaps.