Nature provided us with teeth that are extremely good at cutting into food and then turning it into a paste that can be swallowed ready to have all the nutrients extracted by our digestive system. Nature didn’t know how much our diets would change and that we would lose these fabulous little bits of engineering.
However, humans have been losing teeth and trying to find ways to reliably replace them for thousands of years. It’s only since the 1950s that we have been able to find a replacement method that is as good as the original, and that method is dental implants.
In Petersfield, you can get dental implants from us at College Street Dental Centre, where Dr Afshin Khalessi is our implant dentist.
How are dental implants different?
Dental implants are much more stable than either dentures or fixed bridgework because they replace the root of the tooth as well as the crown. The root is what gives teeth their ability to stay put while we eat. It is held in its socket by fleshy fibres.
Dental implants work slightly differently. They are made of titanium, which the body responds to very favourably, growing new bone tissue all over the surface of the implant. This fusion between bone and implant is what gives the new teeth their stability. Implant-retained teeth can give you back 100% of your chewing power (slightly less if you are using implants to hold dentures in place).
Who can have dental implants
The main requirement for having dental implants is that your jawbone is in good condition. It needs to be strong and dense to support the implants when you chew. It also needs to be able to grow new tissue around the implant.
If your jawbone has degenerated, which is common if you have been without teeth for some time, we can rebuild it with bone grafts and sinus lifts.
The best way to find out if you are suitable for dental implants is to come in for a consultation. We can scan your jawbone and see what kind of shape it is in, and then draw up a treatment plan.
