What it is
After a 3D scan and a planning visit, a small titanium screw is placed in the jaw under local anaesthetic. It heals and fuses with the bone over two to four months. Then a crown is made to fit on top.
Implants are excellent when they suit you, and we say plainly when they do not: if the bone is thin, if you smoke heavily, or if a bridge would do the job for less.
Who it is for
Adults with a missing tooth, healthy gums and enough bone. Not usually before about 18, when the jaw has finished growing.
Does it hurt? Honestly
The placement is done numb and feels like pressure. Afterwards it is often less sore than an extraction; expect some swelling for two or three days.
Whatever we are doing, raise your left hand and we stop. How we work with nervous patients
Afterwards
- Cold packs on the cheek for the first day, twenty minutes on and off.
- Soft food for a week.
- No smoking; it is the biggest reason implants fail.
- Clean around the implant as carefully as a tooth, for life.
