An implant is a man-made replacement for natural teeth which allows the person to return to fixed teeth. It is not a transplant, which is taken from another person. You would require an x-ray to evaluate the amount of bone remaining, models of your mouth to determine space available and a thorough examination to decide which type of implant can help you the most.

Anyone who is missing one or more (even all) of their teeth may be a candidate for implants. If one or a few of the teeth are missing, implants in conjunction with a crown or bridge can replace those teeth and function as normal teeth without losing more bone and being subject to decay. If all or most of your teeth are missing, then implants may be placed to anchor a denture. Sometimes, if there is already some bone loss, bone can be added and regenerated or a technique called bone expansion can be used to create a more ideal site for the implant(s). Ultimately, a consultation on these procedures can help determine your individual needs.

If you, like millions of people, have lost one or more teeth, you may be all too familiar with the unpleasant consequences. For many, missing teeth lead to an unattractive smile, embarrassment from loose dentures, and pain or difficulty with eating.

When you lose your teeth, you gradually lose the bone that supported them. As this bone disappears, problems with other teeth nearby happen. This results in loose teeth. These could result in pain, mobility, lack of retention for prosthetics, sharp, painful ridges, loose gum tissue and sore spots. The tongue enlarges to accommodate spaces of missing teeth. With tooth loss, a five-fold decrease in function occurs and the diet shifts to softer foods. Also, when bone is lost, numbness to the lower lip or even the possibility of fracture of the jaw rises. Since the bone is deteriorating, it will spread and deteriorate around healthy teeth and ultimately cause the loss of those teeth. This is similar to "domino effect". Here's a very easy way to explain what happens. Picture a brick wall; take a brick right out of the middle of the wall. What happens? Eventually, the brick above starts to fall in from lack of support, the bricks to the side start shifting toward each other and those eventually fall out; then the process starts all over for those bricks nearest them. It's a similar process in the mouth. In addition, this progression will affect the ability to provide the same treatment in the later stages of bone loss than if treatment had been started earlier in the process. It's much better to replace a tooth BEFORE all of the side effects kick in. By waiting, you risk the possibility of not being able to provide the same, simple type of treatment that would have been possible earlier.

Our consultation will evaluate your mouth with a clinical exam and an x-ray exam in order to determine your potential for implants. This exam will also be where you can discuss what type of implant replacement will work best for you. The x-ray exam will be able to show how much bone is present in the locations where you will need implants placed.

Different long term research studies have shown that implants which have been placed in good bone can last for a patient's lifetime /20-25 years. However, some implants can fail if the quality of the bone wasn't good, if there was too much bite stress for too few implants or implants which weren't long enough for the demands of a given case.

Dental implants are usually completed in two phases.

Phase #1

is the actual implant placement, a process generally performed in the office with local anaesthesia or light sedation to help make the patient more comfortable. Using precise, gentle techniques, the implants are placed into the jawbone for 2 to3 months while osseointegration (bonding to bone) takes place. This helps ensure a strong, solid foundation for replacement teeth. During this time, temporary bridges or dentures may be used to minimize any cosmetic or chewing inconvenience.

Phase #2

involves creating and attaching the new tooth or teeth to the anchored implant(s) in your jaw. Dental implants can replace a single tooth, several teeth or complete dentures. We can recommend the best choice for you.

There is the need for the implants to attach to the bone by a process which was originally described as osseointegration. The length of time for this waiting period varies with the quality of bone that is present where the implants were placed. Worldwide single stage implants have 30 % failure rate where as 2 stage implants have 98 % success rate.

Long-term success depends on multiple factors. First off, success will depend on the quality and quantity of bone. The better the bone and the more available, the greater the chance of long-term success. Secondly, the experience and ability of the dental surgeon will be a factor. As with any surgical procedure, there is no substitute for the experience and individual talent of the dentist. And finally, the quality of the restoration placed on top of the implant will play a big role in long-term success. If the design of the implant crowns or over dentures are poorly constructed, and biting forces are not balanced, even the best-placed dental implant will have a compromised survival rate.

No. Any person at any age can have dental implants as long as there is enough bone available in which to place the implants. The oldest patient we have treated here is 75 years.

Yes dental implants are remarkably strong so you can eat and enjoy whatever you like. They restore proper chewing, leading to a better diet and improved health. Everything from apples to deep-fried anything.

Relax. In most cases these dental implant procedures produce very little, if any, discomfort. In fact many dental patients do not have to use any painkiller.

Just a little discomfort is involved; however, anaesthetic and patient sedation are used to eliminate any discomfort at the time of the procedure. We offer CONSCIOUS SEDATION for anxious patients who are afraid of the procedure at our clinic to make the procedure entirely comfortable. Many patients who were really scared of the procedure have immensely benefited with our conscious sedation. Meet us for more details.

The body does not reject a dental implant, as it might a soft tissue transplant, such as a lung, heart or kidney. This does not mean that an implant cannot fail, but it would be due to other factors, such as misalignment, improper force on the implant or other conditions or existing diseases of the patient. Dental implants are made of a material, titanium, that is totally bio compatible (compatible with body tissues) and actually integrates with the surrounding bone and becomes part of the body. Titanium is also being used more and more in the medical field to replace body parts.

Generally, we recommend a day of leave on the day of the procedure. The amount of time off required is an individual decision.

Many types of dentists may be qualified to diagnose implant treatment. However, keep in mind that not all dentists have had adequate training and education in this growing field and may possibly (but not intentionally) mis-diagnose or more commonly, discourage the option of implants due to lack of knowledge of the procedure. Dental implant placement is a very sensitive dental surgery procedure which requires careful dental diagnosis, accurate dental treatment planning and precise execution of the surgical and prosthetic phases. Dental implant surgeon who has undergone extensive training and has enough experience in handling difficult dentistry cases is required to make the entire procedure safe, risk free and successful for the dental patient .

At ALLSMILES Dental Clinic centre for dental implants we have dental implant surgeons who have undergone extensive international training in dental implant placement from UNITED KINGDOM, FRANCE and SWITZERLAND. They have enormous experience (more than 8000 implants) in handling most difficult case requiring sinus surgeries, bone grafting and on lay graft procedures. We have state of the art dental treatment unit required for the procedure and adhere to STRICT PROTOCOL OF ASEPSIS during the dental surgery to make the procedure safe for the patients. We do not compromise on the quality of the dental implants used during the procedure. All the dental patients will have access to the details pertaining to the maker of dental implants and FDI and CE approvals.

Yes! If you don't clean around the implants, they can get gum disease. Gum disease can lead to the failure of the implants if it is not treated before too much bone has been destroyed.

When implants fail, there will be some bone loss which accompanies the loss of the implant or implants. If there is still adequate bone left, additional implants can be done. However, there are cases where additional implants can't be done after previously placed implants have failed due to the fact that there is not enough bone present anywhere which would allow for more implants.

Each case varies regarding how many implants are needed for the demands of replacing the missing teeth. The length and number of the implant is determined by how much bone you have. A good consideration is to have enough implants built upon that if one implant fails, there are enough implants left which will prevent the failure of your whole implant reconstruction.

The cleaning demands vary depending on the type of implant reconstruction that you had. You definitely need to clean daily around the implants. Brushing with a toothbrush, as well as flossing are important. There may be the need for a prescription mouth rinse (chlorhexidine) which can further help you keep your implants healthy. Electric toothbrushes can also be helpful for cleaning around implants. Other cleaning aids may be recommended where the specific needs of your case require them.

Dental implants are an effective, safe and predictable solution to the problems resulting from missing teeth. Many patients report exciting benefits from dental implants, such as:

• . Replacement teeth look, feel and function like natural teeth
• . Improved taste and appetite
• . Improved cosmetic appearance
• . The ability to chew without pain or gum irritation
• . Improved quality of life

One additional and very important benefit can be the reduction or elimination of bone atrophy or shrinkage, commonly associated with loss of teeth.

Dental implants are truly a revolution, solving an age old problem safely and predictably. Implant dentistry can change the smiles and lives of millions for years to come.