Dental Implants

Dental implants at Hello Dental Colchester dentist

Cassie’s experience with a dental implant treatment at Hello Dental.

Dental implants can really transform people’s lives. The embarrassment of not being able to smile or eat properly because of a lack of teeth often means people gradually withdraw from socialising. Dental implants can change that and at Hello Dental Colchester we think that is truly priceless.

Our approach is one of supporting our patients to first stabilise and save what is possible while building up their confidence. We then take a step back and reassess and discuss the solutions that are available to you. We deal with all the usual concerns i.e. pain/fear, cost and time (and some not-so-usual concerns), openly and honestly. Ultimately, we recommend what treatment we would have done was it us in your place or one of our close family or friends.

Research shows that people who are confident about their smiles are more likely to be happy and successful.​

Dental implants are considered to be one of the best ways to replace a missing tooth or teeth. An implant is like an anchor that is placed in the jaw bone, these can then be used to support either one tooth, a few fixed teeth or a full set of removable teeth.

Dental implants are designed to mimic our roots and the predominant designs look almost like a root of a tooth. Once the implant is placed in the bone, the bone integrates and grows into the implant fusing the implant to the jaw bone. Once this healing period is completed the implant can be used to support a variety of restorative solutions, either a crown, a bridge or a denture.

Replacing missing teeth with dental implants can be one of the best quality-of-life investments a person can make. Not only do they restore your looks and your smile, but they allow you to chew and eat effectively.

Some of the benefits of dental implants are:

More comfortable and easier to eat
When compared to normal dentures it’s much easier to eat with dental implants because they are fixed you can eat and chew normally, even biting into an apple is usually possible.

Better speech and easier to talk
It is easier to talk when compared to normal dentures as there is much less bulk to replace teeth and there is usually no plastic on your palate.

​Improves your confidence and self-esteem
By not worrying if any false teeth will come off and getting rid of gaps and restoring your smile, patients tell us they feel more confident and outgoing than they used to. Also, they “feel” much more like natural teeth than any other replacement.

Prevents gum shrinking
As the bone is maintained by the presence of the implant, the gum does not shrink away. This is normally an undesirable effect where a tooth or root is missing.

Makes you look younger
By preserving the bone your skin and lips are better supported, which means you are more likely to maintain a fuller youthful appearance. In the absence of this support means your lower face looks sunken and deeper wrinkles are visible.

Easier to maintain health
Implants are less bulky and are healthier for your natural teeth as its easier to clean around an implant as compared to a bridge or denture. Also, as the adjoining teeth do not have to be prepared to replace teeth, the adjoining teeth are less likely to be lost.

Long-term solution
They can last a long time, even a lifetime, if properly looked after. Maintenance is the key to the implants lasting a long time and while the initial investment can be greater in the long term their longevity often makes them better value for money.

With any dental treatment, there are downsides and implants have theirs. The commitment required to have implants is greater, not only financially, but in terms of the extra care, they need. Long-term, regular, home care and professional care to maintain implants properly is critical to their survival and it is where many implants placed overseas as part of “dental tourism” often fail. Due to their robustness, implant failure will often occur many years later when the chances of redress are not possible. Also reversing the damage done by failure can mean the cost of replacement can be substantially higher.

A common misconception is that implants are a like-for-like replacement for teeth. Teeth are far more sophisticated and allow us to “feel” if there is something in between our teeth. Our teeth are suspended in very sensitive ligaments that feedback information to our brains and allow us the precision to tell us how hard to bite and when to stop within micro-seconds. The system is very sophisticated and implants do not even come close to reproducing this fine function.

Therefore, at Hello Dental in Colchester, we believe it is best to try and preserve your natural teeth and roots. With modern dentistry using lasers together with new materials and advanced restorative techniques, it’s possible to restore even very badly broken down teeth. These reconstructions may take a while but are often less invasive and cheaper than dental implants.

Because our focus is long term we always recommend treatments to try and preserve teeth and roots where possible. As dentists in Colchester with a wide skill set, we do not only provide treatments restricted to implants which means we have a wider range of solutions, but we do provide implants where it is appropriate.

For more advanced and complex cases we will work with a professional oral surgeon to find an appropriate treatment course which is dictated by your needs and concerns and what is the best long-term option for your health. As a patient, this means you will get the best of both worlds, precise care to deal with the more complex problems and dental implant placements, but also well-considered options to restore teeth where possible. This is not only the healthier option but can also mean considerable cost and time savings.

No one wants to make a substantial investment only to see it fail, even if it is many years later. Before we place implants we ensure you are able to maintain them well. Once your implants are placed, we restore your implants and ensure a program of diligent home and professional care is in place. This means you can get the maximum life span possible, ensuring good aesthetics and function with the aim that your investment lasts you a lifetime.

Implants are a good substitute but are not risk-free and can suffer from infections called peri-implantitis and rely on very good oral hygiene and regular maintenance to have a chance of lasting a long time.