It is easy to think that losing a tooth is only going to affect your appearance. Unfortunately, tooth loss has many negative long-term consequences for your oral and overall health. We tend to picture teeth as individual units, but in fact, they are part of a complete and complex system. Teeth work together in balance, and problems can occur when they don’t.

If you have lost teeth because of an accident, gum disease or other causes, you may be considering dental implants. Unlike conventional tooth replacement options such as dentures and bridges, dental implants actually fuse with the jawbone and become a permanent part of your mouth. At Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guildford, we advise our patients to replace their missing teeth with dental implants in order to avoid additional dental work and further tooth loss in the long run.

Don’t ignore your missing teeth

Missing teeth can trigger a chain reaction of movement which could eventually affect jaw function and density. Tooth movement can negatively affect your bite and lead to misaligned or gapped teeth. Your ability to eat properly will also be compromised. You may find yourself deciding among the foods you ‘can’ eat, as opposed to the foods you actually want to eat. Depending on where your missing teeth are located, you may have to change your diet drastically and resort to unhealthy choices. Finally, gaps in your mouth can also lead to speech and pronunciation problems that can affect your social life. Luckily, all these problems can be overcome with dental implants.

Health benefits of dental implants

Essentially, dental implants are small titanium posts, which are surgically placed into the jawbone. Since they are made of titanium, a material that is compatible with the human body, they actually fuse with the jawbone, creating a stable base for replacement teeth. Besides keeping your jawbone healthy and strong, dental implants also help keep your natural teeth and gums healthy, as gaps in your smile are difficult to clean properly. Reduced jaw bone density from missing teeth will also leave you susceptible to other health issues, such as infections and further tooth loss. Dental implants prevent all these issues and restore the proper function of your teeth.

Teeth are essential for our well-being since they allow us to smile, communicate with others, and eat. Your teeth are vital for your health and longevity, but sometimes accidents happen. Whether you have lost one or more teeth due to injury, gum disease, tooth decay or old age, tooth loss has negative effects on your oral and overall health.

Even if you miss a single tooth, your body will gradually reabsorb bone tissue, increasing your risk of further tooth loss. Tooth loss can also have a negative effect on your self-esteem and damage your confidence for good. Fortunately, you can now replace your missing teeth with dental implants at Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guildford. Unlike other tooth replacement options, dental implants are durable, long-lasting and look and feel just like your natural teeth. This way you can continue eating your favourite foods and protect your oral health.

How do dental implants work?

Dental implants are small, titanium fixtures, which are surgically fixed into the jawbone and allowed to fuse with the bone tissue over the span of a few weeks or months. Unlike conventional dentures and bridges that simply sit on your gums, dental implants incorporate with bone tissue and prevent further deterioration of the jawbone, while encouraging its further growth. Essentially, dental implants act as replacements for the roots of missing teeth. Once they have healed completely, replacement teeth in the form of crowns, bridges or dentures are placed on top of them.

Health benefits of dental implants

Dental implants look, feel and act like natural teeth. Your dentist will show you how to take good care for your new implants and set up regular appointments and cleanings to ensure that your dental implants are healthy. With proper care and diligent brushing and flossing, dental implants can last a lifetime.

Once dental implants heal, most patients cannot tell the difference between them and their real teeth. Thus, normal, everyday activities such as eating, chewing and brushing your teeth are fully restored. More importantly, dental implants restore your natural jawbone by reversing the effects of bone loss. This goes a long way toward healthier teeth and gums.

To find out more dental implant health benefits, contact our dental practice today.

Long-term denture wearers find that even if their dentures have been fitted carefully to their gums, or relined to fit again, jawbone loss continues to make it hard to keep them in place. Like any bone, the jawbone requires stimulation in order to remain healthy. In the case of the jawbone, much-needed stimulation is supplied from the chewing forces of natural teeth. Unlike dental implants which are incorporated into the jawbone, conventional dentures simply sit on the gums, being unable to prevent bone loss and absorption.

Poorly fitting and loose dentures can cause mouth sores and constant irritation, not to mention slippage and certain diet restrictions. Dentures do not restore more than 10% of your normal chewing power, meaning any hard or chewy foods are off limits. However, many patients who have lost most or all their teeth opt for dentures because they are much cheaper than dental implants. What if we told you that you can now combine both treatments at the fraction of the cost and regain your confidence to face everyday life back?

At Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guildford, we are here to help with your loose and unstable dentures. Modern dentistry has made it entirely possible to use a small number of dental implants (usually 2-4) to stabilise your denture, restoring its firmness and comfort. This way you can have a full set of functional teeth at a lower cost than a mouthful of individual dental implants or implant-supported bridges.

How denture stabilisation works

Stabilising your dentures with dental implants involves a minor surgical procedure, carried out under either local anaesthetic or sedation.

Our experienced dentists will plan your dental implants prior to your surgery, meaning that a full arch of teeth can be supported by between two and four dental implants. Once your dental implants are implanted into your jawbone, a healing period will follow, during which you may continue wearing your regular dentures. Once the dental implants fuse with the jawbone, your new dentures will be attached with special clasps on top of your dental implants.

Denture stabilisation with dental implants is ideal for full upper or lower dentures, although modern techniques also allow us to look at improving partial dentures as well.

Good care at home and regular visits to your dentist, will ensure the health and longevity of your implant-supported dentures.

Getting to know your dental treatment before you go ahead is an important way to prepare. When you are considering dental implants in Guildford with Farnham Road Dental Practice, we give you all the information you need to feel confident that they will work for you. There are lots of details when it comes to dental implants and we can discuss these with you.

Below are a few more interesting things you might like to know. If these lead to even more curiosity about dental implants then you can ask your dentist any questions that you have.

They have been around for a long time

Dental implants are gaining in popularity. They have also been the subject of a lot of research and technological advancements in the past 50 years. This makes them seem like a modern invention. However, the first evidence of dental implants dates back to around 600 AD and the Mayan people. They used pieces of shell to replace the mandibular teeth at the front of the mouth. Titanium has commonly been used since the 1950s because it is a bio-friendly material that promotes integration of dental implants into the jawbone.

You can have more than one tooth per implant

You can replace as many teeth as you like with dental implants. If you have multiple gaps then you will need more than one tooth to go in them. However, you may not need one implant per tooth. New, prosthetic teeth can be mounted on a denture or bridge and these are held in place by one or more implants.

They become like a part of your body

Dental implants are inserted into the jawbone. One of our dentists will carefully drill small holes in order to place them. The location of the holes will have been worked out carefully, in advance, after a thorough examination and mapping of your mouth. Once the implants are in place, your body will heal around them. This means that they are very secure and become a part of your jaw bone. The stabilisation process means that there is a harmonious relationship between the movement of the jaw and your new teeth. This is one of the qualities that makes dental implants feel so close to normal teeth.

At Farnham Road Dental Practice, we love talking to our patients about the treatments we have to offer. If you are curious about anything then come and ask us. We have worked with many patients and have experience adapting information to suit each individual.

We offer dental implants in Guildford as part of our range. Every treatment plan is a little different but there are some queries that we hear repeatedly. Below are a couple of the common questions that we hear. Whatever answers you need, we will do our best to provide them – just ask.

Who needs dental implants?

Dental implants are for people who either have missing teeth or will have in the near future. You can use them to replace a single tooth or multiple teeth. If more than one tooth is being replaced then it may be possible to mount them on a single implant depending on their position and the conditions in the mouth.

Patients who want dental implants need to be in a reasonably good state of health. While the surgery required is minor, it still entails a local anaesthetic and a healing period afterwards. You need to be able to undergo both of these things without undue distress. There are a couple of medical conditions that can affect the success rates of implant surgery. Your dentist will ask you a series of questions during your first consultation to see if you are in any high-risk categories. This does not necessarily mean you will be unable to go ahead but you may need further preparation.

Does it hurt?

During the surgery, you will have a local anaesthetic applied in order to numb the area. Rarely, patients need or request a general anaesthetic. Either way, this means that you will not feel any discomfort during the process. You may feel some soreness afterwards and notice some swelling. There might also be a little bleeding. Your dentist will give you care advice for the days and weeks following. You should be able to alleviate any discomfort with normal painkillers.

Strenuous activity or physical work should be avoided for a couple of days afterwards. Gradual reintroduction of a normal activity load is advised to give your body a chance to heal after getting dental implants.