Frequently asked questions

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root, usually made of titanium or ceramic, that is placed in the jawbone. Once it has healed in, it carries the visible restoration — a crown, a bridge or a denture. Unlike a conventional bridge, an implant does not rest on the neighbouring teeth, which would otherwise have to be ground down for it.

When a tooth is missing, the neighbouring teeth gradually drift into the gap and the jawbone recedes at that spot. An implant holds the gap open, loads the bone like a natural root and so preserves the shape of the jaw. Then there is the practical reason: fixed teeth sit like your own when you eat and speak.

They sit firmly, without clasps and without adhesive. Healthy neighbouring teeth are left untouched. The jawbone continues to be loaded and therefore recedes less. And in care and appearance they differ hardly at all from a natural tooth.

That depends less on the implant than on care and on the condition of the gums. With good oral hygiene and regular check-ups, implants last many years to decades. The most common cause of failure is inflammation of the tissue around the implant — largely avoidable through prophylaxis. A guarantee of a particular number of years would not be serious.

At a practice that carries out the procedure regularly and handles the aftercare itself. More important than the location is that planning, procedure and the later restoration are in one pair of hands — then everything fits together in the end and nobody passes responsibility on.

After the examination and a three-dimensional X-ray we plan the position and size of the implant. The procedure itself takes place under local anaesthetic: the gum is opened, the implant bed prepared, the implant inserted and the tissue closed again. For a single tooth this usually takes under an hour.

Not during the procedure — the local anaesthetic switches off the pain. Afterwards there may be swelling and a feeling of pressure for a few days, similar to having a tooth taken out. Most patients manage with a mild painkiller. If you are very anxious, please tell us beforehand: there are ways to help.

With immediate restoration a temporary tooth is fitted onto the fresh implant on the day of the procedure, so that no visible gap remains. Whether this is possible depends on the amount of bone and on the stability of the implant — something that can only be judged conclusively during the procedure.

The implant fuses with the bone in about three to six months; in the lower jaw this usually goes faster than in the upper. Only then is the final restoration made and fitted. In the meantime we provide a temporary solution, so you are never left without a tooth.

Missing bone can in many cases be built up — with your own bone or with a substitute material. Depending on the extent this happens before the procedure or during it. A jaw that is too weak is therefore rarely a final no, but usually one additional step.

The maxillary sinus lies above the back teeth of the upper jaw. If the bone beneath it is too shallow for an implant, the lining of the sinus is carefully lifted and the space created is filled with bone or a substitute material. That is called a sinus lift. After the healing period there is enough bone for the implant.

Genuine titanium allergies are very rare. There are, however, patients who react sensitively to metals or who for other reasons want no metal in their body. For them we use ceramic implants (zirconium dioxide) — metal-free and tooth-coloured.

Please come and see us promptly. Sometimes only the screw of the crown has worked loose, which is quickly remedied. If the implant itself is loose, however, it has to be removed. After a healing phase and, where necessary, a bone graft, a new implant in the same place is usually possible.

In the first few days after the procedure: soft food, nothing hot, no alcohol and no nicotine — smoking markedly delays healing. Once everything has healed you can eat normally. In the long term the same applies as for your own teeth: little sugar, little acid, and do not crack hard things such as nutshells or ice cubes with your teeth.

Take your time over the consultation and ask how often the practice carries out the procedure, who handles the aftercare and what happens if something does not go as planned. A consultation that ends with a written estimate and without pressure is a good sign. A second opinion is always legitimate.