FAQs

It is perfectly normal to consider carefully the cost of any serious investment. It is a lot to spend on your mouth and it is down to each individual patient to decide if the improvements to the quality of life, function, confidence and appearance are worthwhile. We only prescribe treatment that is necessary. If you are searching for a bargain, please keep in mind that we regularly have to repair many cases from other clinics that have gone wrong due to inadequate planning, skills or materials.

Please don’t believe everything you hear about the numbers of implants that some dentists claim to place. The team at The Dental Implant Centre keep accurate audit records of their implants and all our data is easily retrievable and easily trusted. This includes photographs and computerised implant records. We believe that this practice philosophy should reassure both our patients and our referring dentists.

This is one of the most common concerns for people thinking about having an implant. When carried out by an experienced clinician, most dental implants are very straightforward to place, taking only about 10-15 minutes to complete the surgical part of the treatment, though clearly more complex cases may take longer.

The majority of implants are placed under a normal dental local anesthetic. Though the local anesthetic injections can sting a little and most of us have experienced dental injections in our mouth at some time, once you are numb, you will not feel anything sharp or painful at all throughout your treatment. You will feel some pressing and push during the procedure as well as some vibration during the drilling stage, but this will not be sharp or painful in any way and your dentist will check to make sure you are completely numb before they start the surgery.

For bigger procedures such as multiple implants or complex cases, sedation can be provided. Intravenous Sedation is not a general anesthetic, but makes patients feel very comfortable and relaxed and they rarely remember much about the procedure afterwards which is an advantage for many nervous patients. Should you wish to have general anaesthesia, we can arrange this for you as well. Just ask a member of our staff to explain to you what you will need to do and how to prepare for it.

Obviously, the more training and experience that the clinician carrying out your dental implant treatment has, the quicker it will be and the more comfortable you are going to be, so make sure you check out your implant surgeon thoroughly before starting treatment.

Firstly, the great news is that there are techniques, whereby patients can avoid any kind of bone grafting altogether – even if you have been told you need this by others.

When it is necessary, we use many different materials for bone grafting, which are chosen on a case-by-case basis as the best material for each patient.  However, we now use synthetic, laboratory-made materials more and more, replacing the need for cow-derived products almost completely.  These synthetic products are rapidly replaced by the body’s own bone, meaning that they disappear completely from the body within a few months.

It is possible to have teeth extracted and immediately place implants into the extraction sockets – ‘Instant Implants’.  You can even then have temporary teeth added onto these implants – ‘Instant Implants and Instant Teeth’.  There are a few factors which can make it necessary to wait for healing after tooth removal before an implant can be placed; the main factor being if there is any sign of infection.  If the infection is present, we need to allow a healing phase of 8-12 weeks before we can place the implants. Don’t worry because you never need to have a gap if you don’t want one – there are all sorts of temporary solutions to make sure there is no embarrassment at any stage through the implant process. This can include a denture or a bridge.

If the treatment is straightforward it can be a little as 10-12 weeks from placement of the implant to fit of the final crown.  However, sometimes treatment can take longer depending on the level of complexity of your case, with some patients not finishing for up to a year. The exact time frame will be ascertained from your assessment at The Dental Implant Centre.

Any surgical procedure can have complications and dental implants are no exception. When an implant is placed, your bone then needs to grow onto and fuse to the implant, in a process known as osseointegration, if it is to become a firm foundation for a crown.  In the unlikely event that your bone fails to grow onto an implant, we offer the choice of either a full refund or to replace the implant completely free of charge. We have usually found that patients wish to try again and that a second failure is exceptionally rare.

We are very careful to continuously audit our results and assess our performance, and we always strive to excel. Our audited implant integration rates are over 99% and we will be happy and proud to show you our figures at any time. This is a result owing to the skill and experience of our team and definitely also attributable to the quality of the equipment we use.

You don’t need to have the tooth extracted before seeing us.  Where possible we would like to assess the area first in order to work out the best treatment plan to replace your teeth.  This allows us to use the care and attention needed to maintain all possible bone and simplify your treatment. We can then plan the timetable for treatment much more easily.  However, if you are in pain then you can ask your dentist to carefully remove the tooth and to clean the area carefully with consideration of implant protocols which we have taught many referring dentists.

Normally yes – we have worked with many exceptional cases where other implant dentists have said there is not enough bone.  We will do a thorough assessment of course including detailed x-rays and the latest in 3D imaging to assess the bone available.

Very rarely we will explain that there is not enough bone to safely work with implants and then we have to consider alternative dental options with you and your dentist.

Yes, we can and we are particularly experienced with this dental implant treatment modality.  You do not need one implant per tooth and can actually have as few as four implants to replace all of the upper or lower teeth.  There are a variety of options for the type of bridgework supplied which can either be removable by you or fixed in place, so please see the relevant section of our website.

We are able to remove the failing teeth, place implants and build up immediate teeth onto the implants all in one session –  ‘Instant implants and instant teeth’.  This is also called ‘teeth in a day’ which you may have heard about.  We will plan in detail before this can be carried out.

See the website section on this fascinating area for more information.  Not everyone is able to have this treatment but we will do so wherever it is safe and will have a high success rate.

Absolutely! Dentures are most patients’ nightmare due to the difficulty in wearing and the effect on all aspects of life.

Small dentures can be replaced with just a few implants, or complete (full) dentures can either be held in position with implants or of course replaced with implants altogether – surely an amazing dental transformation available. Ask us about our Teeth in A Day procedure.