At Polwarth Dental Clinic, we know that replacing missing teeth isn’t simply a case of crowns, bridges and full or partial dentures. What goes on in the jawbone is just as important above it for most people who have lost one or more teeth.
The reason dental implants in Edinburgh can have such a dramatic and beneficial effect on patients is that implants replace the root as well as the missing tooth.
How do they work?
Implants are tiny titanium posts. Titanium is the material of choice for implants because of its unparalleled ability to encourage the growth of bone tissue and then to fuse with it. In Edinburgh, dental implants are placed into the jawbone during minor oral surgery, carried out under local anaesthetic. If you are especially anxious about oral surgery, you can choose to be sedated for this, so that you can fully relax during surgery.
Once we have inserted the implants, we need to wait several weeks while the jawbone heals, and new bone tissue and blood vessels grow around the implants to hold them securely in place. This creates a stable base that will be able to cope with the significant forces produced by biting and chewing.
In Edinburgh, dental implants at Polwarth Dental Clinic are fitted by Dr Willie Jack. Dr Jack has placed, restored and maintained in excess of 3,500 implants over 20 years.
How can they help?
They can be used when all the upper teeth are missing; to replace missing back teeth; to replace one missing lower tooth or side tooth; and even to replace every single tooth at once.
That’s the roots taken care of. What about the crowns? Because no one wants to look like their teeth are not their own, your new crowns are handcrafted in a specialist laboratory to match your surrounding natural teeth in size, shape and colour. If you are having all your teeth replaced, we can match your teeth from a good photograph of your smile, or impressions of your lost teeth.
Dental implants, if you look after them carefully, can last for the rest of your life, so they are well worth the investment.