Dental Implants

Using our unique i-Smile methods we can place a single implant within 10-15 minutes and aim to for larger cases such as full arch restoration to a maximum of 2 hours surgical time ?

Generally if we place our implants recovery is on the same day. Patients are often back to work the next day after treatment. Extensive grafting surgery or sinus grafting we tend to allow a period of 2-3 days of rest. But every person is different in anatomy so recovery does tend to differ from each individual. We would assess all patients medically prior to any surgery and advise on all possible recovery times.

Dental implantology currently has not been awarded its own specialist list. All dentists whom have received adequate training can perform dental implant surgery and restoration.However it is our opinion that dentists whom hold specific qualifications in implant dentistry have been trained , assessed and examined and have adequate experience should be delivering the more complex implant dentistry.

In terms of comparison to other dental treatments dental implants require a higher level of investment, this is because the costs involved in delivery of implant treatment to the very highest of standards is costly in terms of setup. equipment needed (3D Scanners, On site theatres, support staff) , higher level of training and skills of implant dentists. In our clinics for example for a single implant placement it takes 3 support nursing staff to set up a theatre, we have special vacuum autoclaves systems for higher levels of sterilisation, 2 surgical lighting systems and that’s just the start. We still however aim to offer very good value for money for implant treatments. 

Any medical or surgical procedure carries risks and this is no different in dental implantology. Generally risks associated with dental implants are very low in the right hands. The main risk of placement of a dental implant is failure to osseointegrate – whereby the bone does not fuse with the implant – generally an accepted failure rate is 2% (2 in every 100). Failure of an implant is not a dramatic nor painful process usually the implant is loose and mobile and can be removed using a air of tweezers. Other risks include damage to anatomical structures such as nerves, however in our clinic a majority of patients have 3D scans and we have exact measurements of volume as well and position of any sensitive structures.

In our clinic our failure rate in <1%. But we have assessed contingencies if failure were to occur. We would provide all remedial treatment free of charge, furthermore we would offer after appropriate healing period a second placement of an implant and this would also be at no extra cost to our patients. We would audit all failures and assess causes as we all thrive to achieve a 100% success rate.

Generally if you are with your general dentist and see them every 6 months then we would like to see you once a year to assess the implant. The yearly implant exam is a 10 min appointment whereby we check our implant, crowns your bite and stability. We may take an X-ray to check the bone levels. As part of our guarantee you are required to attend yearly as small problems are easily rectified if caught early such as a change in biting over time putting undue pressure on an implant. The cost of this varies by the number of implants you may have. Our unique implant protection scheme covers all aspects of recall examination costs.