Your Dental Implant Journey

We take a phased approach to your dental implant treatment, with an emphasis on helping you to feel in control of your treatment decisions. Our approach is outlined here and hopefully will give you a better idea about what to expect from your journey* at one80 Dental.

*Depending on your individual needs the number of appointments required and procedure frequency may vary.

Stage 1 – Assessment & Planning
We attach great importance to the assessment and planning stage of each individual case.  At one80 Dental we use this time to get to know you and importantly understand the underlying problems that have led to you coming to us.  We focus on your whole mouth, rather than just the one area that needs attention; if we can understand why issues have occurred and led to tooth loss, then we can find you the appropriate solution that will both fix the obvious problem but also hopefully prevent more issues in the future.

Our clinicians will always spend time with you to gather information about your dental and oral health, lifestyle and general wellbeing, producing a written treatment plan tailored for you, which highlights your current dental situation and the treatment options available to you, including alternatives to dental implants.

The assessment and planning stage will also frequently include:

• An OPT and/or CBCT bone scan and radiographs (X-Rays) to fully assess your underlying bone structure and natural teeth.
• A 3D virtual model will be taken of your mouth to support our treatment planning.
• Photography

It is our experience that this treatment planning stage helps greatly with your understanding of the required processes for replacing your missing teeth, which in turn helps to empower you to make treatment decisions that will work best for you on a number of levels.  We support and guide you throughout the process and encourage you to ask questions – our aim is to make the whole process as stress-free as possible and to reduce any feelings of apprehension you may have.

Stage 2 – Preparation
Before embarking upon any kind of complex dental treatment, any existing dental health risks must be brought under control and the following areas must be considered:

• Stabilisation of gum health, this may include time with our Specialist in Periodontics or Hygiene Services team
• Bone regeneration (if appropriate)
• Areas of any existing infection such as tooth abscesses must be dealt with
• Other dental specialisms such as Orthodontics (teeth alignment) or Endodontics (root canal treatment) may be required to provide the optimum results
• Anxiety will be discussed and if necessary, techniques sought to control it such as sedation or sessions with our dental anxiety therapists
• Complex medical conditions e.g. diabetes, will be managed appropriately and we normally inform your GP.
• Any uncontrollable biting, clenching or grinding issues and/or associated facial pain should also be dealt with appropriately and brought under control. This may include sessions with our in-house psychotherapists.

Stage 3 – Dental Implant Placement
Implant placement is a minor surgical procedure and is performed under local anaesthesia with sedation available where required. If appropriate to your treatment plan bone augmentation is carried out prior to or at the same time as implant placement.

Implants are placed into your jawbone and over time further bone grows onto the implant surface improving the stability of the implant.  This process of integration typically takes 3 months.

Depending on your treatment plan, you may also require second stage surgery to uncover your implant(s).

Stage 4 – Placement of Restoration (Crown, Bridge or Denture)
Once all surgery has been completed, we can then move on to making and placing your new restoration: single crown, bridge or denture.

Stage 5 – Maintenance
Implants can last as long as natural teeth if they are cared for properly and our team are best placed to provide you with ongoing care and maintenance of your artificial teeth.  Our hygiene services team are highly experienced in the maintenance of implants and you should aim to attend regularly with them to help keep your artificial and natural teeth as healthy as possible.

The long-lasting success of your implant(s) is reliant upon your commitment to maintaining a good level of oral hygiene and to attending regular appointments for review. Specific assessments by our specialist team are necessary to ensure the health and longevity of your implant and should be carried out as directed, but typically once per year after completion of treatment.