Hi, I’m Tom from Toothpaste, and welcome to our guide to dental implants.
The Gold Standard for Replacing Missing Teeth
Dental implants are the gold standard option for replacing missing teeth. It’s the closest you can get to putting your original tooth back in the mouth again.
Disadvantages of Dental Implants
There are two main disadvantages to dental implants. The first is that it’s a bit more of a process than the alternatives, taking usually a minimum of three to six months. The second disadvantage is the cost, with them currently costing anything from four and a half to $7,000 per tooth. But that price can be reduced if you’re replacing multiple teeth in a row.
Example of an Implant Bridge
Here we’ve got an example of an implant bridge where three teeth are replaced with two implants and a fake porcelain tooth between them.
The Implant Process Explained
For a single tooth implant, a titanium screw is placed into the jaw, similar to a hip or knee replacement. This is usually done a minimum of three months after the tooth is extracted. Once the implant is placed, there’s another three-month wait before the crown can be added on top.
The Typical Timeline for Dental Implant Procedures
The process will often start off with you being referred to a specialist for the removal of the tooth and the placement of the implant itself. Restoring the implant, which will be done with us at Toothpaste, occurs several months later.
Financial Planning with Health Funds
You can also use that process to your advantage by spreading the implant placement and then the placement of the crown over two years’ worth of health fund contributions, so you get more out of your fund and less out of your pocket.
Maintaining Your Dental Implant
Once your implant is placed, although it can’t decay, it is absolutely vital to keep the gum healthy and clean around that implant, as gum infections are still a risk.
For more advice on how to maintain your implant, check out our oral hygiene videos, or alternatively, give us a call. Book an appointment online, and our helpful team can give you some more advice.
