Exploring The 5 Steps To Great Looking Total Teeth Replacement
If you’re missing a row of teeth or worse still have no teeth at all, then it can be a pretty miserable experience. But what are your options? You could of course go down the denture route. However by doing so you’re likely to be resigned to a life of continual denture adjustment as your jaw bone shrinks. Couple this with the worry of movement or slippage every time you eat or speak and it’s easy to see why this isn’t a long-term solution. Alternatively, you could opt for dental implants in Richmond, or better still, an implant supported bridge. This way your teeth remain in place permanently.
Great looking implants are often fitted using a 5 step process. The emphasis is on the word ‘process’ because that’s what it is. It can be as short as one day, or can take as long as a couple of years, but under normal circumstances the process takes somewhere between 3-9 months. Here’s a look into the ‘processes’ involved.
Step 1 – Initial visit
This is where the dentist can begin to understand your needs. From this they can build up a picture of how they can help. They’ll also carry out a thorough oral examination using X-rays and/or CT scanning equipment. They’ll also take your medical history into account.
Step 2 – Treatment plan
The second step towards having dental implants in Richmond is by developing a tailored treatment plan. This is where your options, risks, financial commitments, benefits and treatment time-line are reviewed by your dentist. This is also usually the first time that a patient will get a complete overview of their treatment and all the various factors concerned. Once agreed by the patient then they’ll move onto step 3.
Step 3 – Surgery
This is the part that most people are understandably wary of but more often that not it’s a pain free experience. Surgery at this time may involve bone grafts, sinus lifts, and/or extractions, or may just be the placing of dental implants depending upon their situation. However all should be explained in their treatment plan, so there should never be any nasty surprises. In addition if you do undergo treatment for a dental implant in Richmond at our clinic, you’ll never be left at any point without teeth.
Step 4 – Making your permanent teeth
This is where you and the dentist get to choose how you want your permanent teeth to look. Specifics such as colour, how much gum you want to show when you smile, the length and shape of each tooth and even adding in tiny imperfections all make for a truly natural set of teeth or implant dentures. The dentist may also give you another temporary set, but this time they’ll be based on your permanent teeth in order to test drive them.
Step 5 – Fitting the final teeth
Once you’re happy then you’ll be called back in to have your final or permanent set of teeth/implant dentures fitted. Installation takes somewhere between 1-3 hours with the teeth being cemented or screwed into place over pre-fabricated abutments. Your dentist will train you on how to maintain your new teeth and tell you about signs that you might want to look out for.
That’s the overall process to multiple or all missing teeth. Although time scales will vary given their unique situations, everyone will come out of this 5 stage process with a great looking set of permanent dental implants in Richmond that they can be proud of. Call Sheen Dental on 020 8876 5277 or visit our website at www.sheendentalimplants.co.uk to find out more.