Deciding to have a dental implant can often be a big step for many people, and as it does cost a little more than alternative treatments you’ll want to do everything possible to maximise the chances of treatment being successful. In fact dental implants have an extremely high success rate that is typically around 95%. Part of this does rely on the skill of your dentist, as accurate implant placement is critical to the finished look of your restoration, and to the way it functions. If you’re thinking about having dental implants in Bromley, then your first step is to book an appointment with Bromley Dental Practice.

Anyone considering dental implants will need a consultation before deciding to go ahead with the process. If you decide to take things further, then Dr Zaki Bashir will need to carry out various diagnostic tests to evaluate your suitability for treatment. These include dental x-rays and a CT scan which is used to help plan the implant placement. The CT scan is also essential for showing the available bone in your jaw, as each implant needs to be surrounded by a certain amount of strong and healthy bone to help ensure success.

Bromley Dental Practice uses Straumann dental implants, as these particular dental implants are very high quality and are used worldwide. Your dentist in Bromley will also want to know a bit about your medical history, such as whether you have any diseases or medical conditions that affect your immune system, and whether or not you smoke. These conditions could affect healing and may increase the chances of implant failure. If you do smoke then it’s best to give up completely or at least for the duration of treatment.

Our implant dentist is extremely experienced, and has placed more than 2,000 dental implants so you’ll be in very good hands. Once the procedure is completed you’ll be given instructions on how to care for the implant site as it’s important to keep it clean and free from infection. When the implant has fully integrated with your jawbone, it can be restored with a replacement tooth.

Up until this point your implant treatment should have been a success, but for this to continue your need to be prepared to look after your implant at home, and to visit us regularly for check-ups and professional dental cleanings. Even though the implant post is inert, it’s still surrounded by living bone and gum tissue. These tissues can become infected, and if this happens then it could potentially lead to the failure of your dental implants.

You can help ensure this doesn’t happen by making sure you brush around your implant very thoroughly, and that you floss every single day to remove plaque that might have built up around the implant. As long as you’re vigilant over its care then it’s unlikely that you’ll have any problems, but if you do suspect your implant has become infected at any stage, even years after treatment, then contact us as soon as possible as swift action could help save it.

Dental implants are easy to look after, but you do need to make sure you care for them properly. This means they must be thoroughly brushed and flossed to make sure plaque and tartar cannot build up around them, and it is important to visit Bromley Dental Practice for regular check-ups with Dr Zaki Bashir, and to book professional cleanings.

Getting Regular Check-ups for Your Dental Implants
Dr Bashir will examine the implants to make sure they are still fitting well, and are free from disease. Regular dental x-rays will show if the bone levels around the implant are being maintained, and this is essential as good strong bone surrounding the implants will help ensure they remain firmly anchored in the jaw.

Professional Dental Cleanings
Professional cleanings help remove any hardened tartar that might have built up around the implant and which could otherwise mean the gums will become inflamed. Tartar is hardened plaque bacteria, and it can build up if you don’t brush and floss properly. Our dentist in Bromley Dental Practice can give you advice on how to brush properly, and how to floss so you remove all the plaque from around your dental implant.

Even though a dental implant is completely inert it is surrounded with living tissue and this can still become infected at any stage, even years after the implant is being inserted. A lack of oral hygiene can mean a condition called peri-implantitis will develop. This is a condition similar to gum disease and it causes the gums to become infected, swollen and inflamed. If not promptly treated this condition could affect the bone levels around the implant, and could mean the implant eventually becomes loose and will fail.

Looking after Implant Supported Dentures
If your implants are being used to support a denture then it’s important to make sure you brush and floss around the implants in your mouth, and that you thoroughly clean the implant attachments in your denture. Make sure you bring the denture with you to each appointment so Dr Bashir can check the denture and implant attachments are still in good condition. It’s possible some of the implant attachment components will need replacing periodically, and most people need to replace their denture completely every 3 to 6 years.

It’s not difficult to look after dental implants in Bromley correctly, and to ensure they remain problem free. Many people have had dental implants in position for decades and they are still performing well. If you care for your dental implants properly then they could last your lifetime, and dental implant surgery has an extremely high success rate that is typically around 95%. In addition to good dental care, it’s important to make sure you maintain good general health, and habits such as smoking could affect the longevity of your implant.

Dental implants are a really good way of replacing missing teeth and are often considered to be the gold standard. This is because they can often provide the most natural looking restorations that can be treated in exactly the same way as your own teeth. In spite of this some people are put off by the thought of having a small surgical procedure to insert the implant post. It’s worth trying to get past these feelings especially as the surgery really isn’t that bad, particularly when only one implant is required.

Dental Implants Are Ideal for Anyone in Good Oral and General Health

Dental implants are suitable for just about anyone who is in good oral health and who doesn’t have any particular medical conditions. Dr Zaki Bashir or another dentist in Bromley will take your medical history into account during your initial consultation for dental implants.

Factors that may influence whether or not you’re suitable for implants include having conditions that impact your immune system, in particular diabetes. If you do have diabetes then it doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t have dental implants, but it is important that the diabetes is very well controlled as this condition does impede healing and does increase the risk of implant failure.

Another factor is whether or not you smoke, and if you do then you’ll need to give up prior to implant surgery and preferably for good, but at least while the implant is healing. Smoking definitely increases the risk that the implant will fail at some point, and it’s a habit that makes it far more difficult for the dental implant to integrate properly into the jawbone once it’s been placed.

Some people are worried that increasing age may make it difficult to have dental implant placement, but many older people will be able to successfully have dental implant surgery; being in good health is far more important than age. One issue that could arise is if the teeth were extracted quite some time ago as this can lead to significant bone resorption. Dental implants do need to be surrounded by several millimetres of healthy bone in order to be held firmly in place in the jaw. Your dentist in Bromley will assess the amount of healthy bone through taking x-rays and quite possibly a CT scan. Even if you don’t have sufficient bone this doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t have dental implants. It’s possible to build up the bone with different types of bone grafts. Some grafts can be placed as soon as the tooth is extracted, or at the same time as dental implants.

Nervous at the Thought of Implant Surgery? Talk to Us so We Can Help You

If dental anxiety and fear is putting you off having this treatment then talk to our friendly dental team at Bromley Dental Practice. We know a lot of patients are nervous and we will do everything possible to help you overcome this.