Dental Implants

What an implant is

An implant is a titanium post placed into the jawbone to take the place of a missing tooth root. Once bone has grown onto its surface, it supports a crown, a bridge, or a full-arch prosthesis.

It has three components:

1. The fixture — the titanium post within the bone
2. The abutment — the connector passing through the gum
3. The restoration — the crown or bridge you see

The biological process that makes it work is osseointegration: living bone bonding directly to the implant surface. This takes three to six months and cannot be accelerated. Loading an implant before it has integrated is one of the most common causes of early failure.

Why implants preserve bone

When a tooth is lost, the bone that held it begins to resorb — most rapidly in the first year. Bone maintains its volume in response to the load transmitted through a root. Remove the root and the stimulus disappears.

A bridge replaces the visible tooth but transmits no load into the bone beneath the gap, so resorption continues. A denture sits on the gum and can accelerate the process. An implant is the only option that transmits load into bone the way a root does, which is why it is the only replacement that genuinely preserves the ridge.

This has a visible consequence over years: it maintains facial support in the lower third of the face.

Our surgical protocol

3D CBCT imaging

A cone beam scan gives a three-dimensional view of bone height, width and density, and shows the position of the inferior alveolar nerve in the lower jaw and the sinus floor in the upper.

This scan is not optional. Placing an implant from a two-dimensional radiograph means estimating the position of anatomy that must not be estimated. Nerve injury is a serious and largely preventable complication.

Restoration-driven planning

The implant position is planned against where the final crown needs to be — not where bone is easiest to drill. This distinction determines whether the finished tooth emerges naturally from the gum or looks like a compromise.

A surgical guide is manufactured from that plan, so the position designed on screen is the position achieved in the mouth.

Placement

Under local anaesthetic, the site is prepared to precise dimensions and the fixture placed to a specific insertion torque. Torque matters: too little and primary stability is inadequate, too much and bone can be compressed to the point of compromising blood supply.

A single implant appointment is usually under an hour.

Integration

Three to six months while bone integrates. A temporary tooth can normally be worn during this period, so you are not without a tooth.

Restoration

A digital scan is taken and the custom abutment and crown manufactured. Because our laboratory is on site, shade matching happens with the technician present — which matters enormously for a single implant crown positioned next to a natural tooth, the most demanding aesthetic case in dentistry.

When bone grafting is genuinely required

Grafting is needed when the remaining bone cannot securely hold a fixture. The common approaches:

• Socket preservation — grafting at the time of extraction to limit future loss. The least invasive and often the most valuable, because preventing loss is easier than rebuilding.
• Lateral ridge augmentation — widening a ridge that has narrowed over years without a tooth.
• Sinus lift — increasing bone height in the upper posterior jaw where the sinus has expanded downward.

Grafting adds months and cost. It is worth being direct: reflexive grafting is common in the market. Our position is that the scan decides — and where technique can achieve stability without grafting, we use technique.

Recovery

First 24 hours. Bite on gauze as directed and use ice intermittently. Do not rinse forcefully, spit or use a straw — these disturb the clot. No smoking.

Days 2 to 3. Swelling peaks; bruising is normal. Soft, cool foods. Continue prescribed medication.

Days 4 to 7. Swelling subsides. Most people return to work within two to three days after a single implant.

Months 3 to 6. Integration completes and the final restoration is fitted.

Contact us if you notice

• Pain increasing after day three rather than easing
• Swelling worsening after day four
• Bleeding that does not respond to pressure
• Fever, or a bad taste with discharge
• Any sensation of movement in the implant

What protects your implant long term

• Stop smoking. It is the single largest modifiable risk factor and measurably reduces success rates.
• Control diabetes. Uncontrolled blood glucose impairs healing and integration.
• Treat gum disease first. Peri-implantitis — the equivalent condition around an implant — is the leading cause of late failure.
• Wear a night guard if you grind. Implants have no periodontal ligament and therefore no shock absorption.
• Attend maintenance appointments. Implants require cleaning with appropriate instruments; conventional metal scalers can damage the surface.

Comparing your options

	Implant	Bridge	Removable denture
Adjacent teeth	Untouched	Must be cut down	Untouched
Bone preservation	Yes	No	No
Expected lifespan	Longest	10–15 years typically	Needs relining or remaking
Upfront cost	Highest	Moderate	Lowest
Feel and function	Closest to natural	Good	Variable

Over a long horizon implants frequently become the more economical option — but the honest comparison depends on your bone, your health and your priorities, and we will give you that comparison rather than a recommendation dressed as one.