Dental Implants – Is This The Right Time For You To Choose?

Why dental implants may be your best choice for replacing lost teeth

There is no getting away from it; lockdown has been tough for some people and this is especially true financially. Small business owners that have had to close their premises for a few months will almost certainly have taken a large financial hit.

Even when businesses reopen, it is likely to be some time before the economy recovers enough to be called ‘normal’ again. This has affected many people, dentists included.

This is not true for everyone though, and those who have managed to keep regular employment during this time may have even found themselves financially better off than before. With the same salary coming in and a lack of opportunities to spend it at restaurants and shops etc, some of those more fortunate may have managed to save a reasonable amount of money. The same may also be true of those who had put money aside for a holiday abroad this year but have decided to postpone it due to the current situation.

Your teeth

Those of you who live in the Bedford area and find themselves in a position where they have managed to save, may like to take a look at the cosmetic dentistry treatments that we offer at The Dental Centre Bedford.  There are many treatments to choose from, including the ever popular teeth whitening procedure. The one that we want to focus on today though is dental implant placement, a treatment which, whilst excellent, does require an investment of a reasonable amount of money. This is simply due to the cost of the material used and the experience and training required to do it.

If you have saved money during these last few months, this could offer an excellent opportunity to have implants placed to replace any missing teeth that you have. If you currently wear dentures, you will also probably be all too aware of their limitations and occasional inconveniences. By swapping dentures for implants, you can have very strong, secure and functional replacement teeth that are straightforward to look after, often for 20 years or more.

Individual and multiple placement

Whether you have a single tooth that you need replacing, or multiple consecutive teeth, dental implants offer an excellent solution. Even those who have no teeth at all and currently use a full set of dentures can use implants to provide them with a much more satisfactory solution. Individual implant placement involves placing a titanium ‘root’ into the jawbone. This is then allowed to fuse over a period of approximately 3 months before a crown is attached, leaving you with your new replacement tooth firmly in place.

Multiple implants are typically not placed individually but are usually used to anchor a fixed bridge. This allows us to use a minimum number of implants to replace your teeth. For those who don’t want to switch from dentures but who would like more stability and functionality, your dentures can be stabilised by placing a few dental implants to secure them in place.

Benefits

Whether replacing individual or multiple teeth, there is no doubt that dental implants offer a fantastic solution for those who have lost their teeth. Although dentures and bridges go some way to resolving this problem, especially aesthetically, stability issues can cause some wearers to be very careful about what food they eat, particularly those which can be more difficult to bite and chew.

Cleaning dental implants is straightforward too, and is done in the same way as you do (or should) with your natural teeth. Thorough brushing, flossing and regular dental visits should help to ensure that your implants remain healthy. Bridges and dentures are undoubtedly more ‘fiddly’ to keep clean and in the case of dentures, have to be removed from the mouth to do so.

The real benefit of implants though is that they are secured into the jaw in the same way as a tooth root. Unlike bridges or dentures which sit on top of the gums, these ‘roots’ provide the stability to give you the confidence to eat as you wish.

Finances

Whilst some of you might be fortunate enough to pay for your implant placement outright, we believe that all of our Bedford patients should have every opportunity to have this excellent treatment and so we offer a range of finance payment plans to help. These allow you to spread the cost of your treatment over a period of time. It is worth remembering that although teeth implants are the most expensive tooth replacement option, there are few ongoing costs providing that you look after them. Both bridges and dentures are likely to require some maintenance, and possibly replacement, during the 20 years or more that your implants will be serving you. Indeed, this can prove more costly over the longer term.

If you are interested in finding out more about this increasingly popular tooth replacement treatment, you can arrange to have an initial consultation at The Dental Centre Bedford by calling us on 01234 819868.