Dental implants can be an incredibly helpful procedure for anyone looking to replace or restore lost or damaged teeth, and with more than 5 million implants placed each year in the United States alone, it’s clear that it’s an incredibly popular one too.
If you’ve been considering dental implants, or if you have a procedure up and coming, there’s no doubt a number of questions you have about it all.
We’ve put our heads together and come up with what we think are some of the top FAQs on the topic of dental implants, including things you might want to know from before the procedure, during the procedure, and after the procedure.
So without any further ado, here are some of the most frequently asked questions about dental implants.
What Actually is a Dental Implant?
A dental implant works as a substitute for a natural tooth, both in look and feel as well as in function. A complete dental implant is comprised of three main parts: first is a titanium screw, which is screwed into the jawbone where it fuses as the surrounding tissue heals (through a process known as osseointegration) to act as a replacement root of the tooth. On top of this is the abutment, typically also made of titanium, which acts as a connector between the titanium implant and the tooth-shaped crown that’s then placed on top, typically made of porcelain or ceramic.
Is Anyone Suitable for Dental Implants?
Just about anyone with any lost or missing teeth will make for a suitable candidate for dental implants, although there’ll be a couple of requirements you’ll want to make sure you meet first.
For a start, in order for the implants to sit well and be well supported, you’ll need to have relatively healthy gums. A good level of oral health in general is usually a must, and you’ll want to make sure you keep it up going forward so you can ensure your implants are well looked after. You’ll also need to have a good level of bone density in the jaw in order to properly support the implant, although a bone graft can be performed if not.
Anyone with gum disease, or anyone who grinds their teeth or is a heavy drinker or smoker, may not be well suited to dental implant surgery.
How Long Will a Dental Implant Last?
A dental implant works in exactly the same way as the rest of your normal, natural teeth, and therefore, so long as you make sure you’re taking good care of your implants with plenty of regular brushing and flossing, then there’s no reason they shouldn’t last a lifetime.
Is Dental Implant Surgery Painful?
The short answer is yes, dental implant surgery would be incredibly painful. But that’s why local anaesthetic will be used during the procedure to numb the area and make sure you’re unable to feel anything. There’ll be some degree of relatively minor pain, bruising and swelling for around a week once the anaesthetic wears off, but this can be dealt with easily with over the counter painkillers such as Ibuprofen or Paracetamol.
How Long does the Dental Implants Process Take?
Dental implant surgery isn’t completed in any short amount of time, as there are a couple of steps involved that will require some healing time in between. While it’ll differ from patient to patient, the typical dental implant surgery procedure could take anywhere from 3 to 9 months to complete in total.
The first stage of the procedure will involve the installation of the titanium implant, and this will need plenty of time to heal and fuse with the jawbone before any of the next stages of the treatment can go ahead. In some instances, where there isn’t a sufficient amount of jawbone mass available, an additional bone graft procedure will have to take place before the titanium implant can be put in place, requiring further healing time.
What Can I Eat After Having Dental Implants Fitted?
For a while after having your dental implants fitted you’ll need to stick to a liquid only diet, before slowly moving up to soft foods and then hard foods again. It’s important that your implants have the appropriate time they need to heal, and going straight into eating as you would normally could disrupt the healing process.
Once everything’s healed and you’re back to eating hard foods again, there will be some things you’ll want to take care with. You’ll want to take caution with hard foods, such as nuts, for example, along with sticky candy and popcorn. Your dentist will walk you through a dietary plan during your consultation.
Are Dental Implants Noticeable?
The great thing about dental implants is that each and every one is custom designed for each patient, with every effort being made to replicate the colour of the rest of the surrounding natural teeth, along with its size and shape. As such, any dental implant should be completely indiscernible from the rest of your teeth.
Are Dental Implants Available on the NHS?
For most patients looking to undergo dental implant surgery, the procedure isn’t available under the NHS. There are some rarer instances though where NHS care might be available when the original teeth were lost to diseases such as mouth cancer or a severe accident.
Where’s the Best Place to Get My Dental Implants?
If you think that dental implants are the answer for you, then you’ll no doubt be pretty keen to know of all the amazing benefits you can take advantage of when getting your dental implants in Turkey. As part of an all-inclusive package, you can take advantage of luxury 5* accommodation, VIP transfers, your own patient coordinator and translator, and an amazing aftercare team, all for potentially thousands of pounds less than the treatment alone would cost at home.
So if you’re interested in dental implants Turkey get in touch today for a free quote, and find out more about all of the amazing benefits waiting for you.
You can also check out this dentist in Tarzana to get started if you live in Los Angeles.
This content is a joint venture between our publication and our partner. We do not endorse any product or service in the article.
