At Orpington Dental Care, we treat every patient as an individual and create treatment plans for you based on your needs. When you have dental implants in Orpington with us, you will soon discover that there are lots of decisions that get made along the way depending on the circumstances in your mouth and jawbone.

During your initial consultation, your dentist will do a detailed examination and ask you questions to determine how your dental implant procedure will go. They also check your suitability for dental implants in Orpington at this point. As long as you are in good health and have the required jawbone density, the chances are good that you will be able to proceed. Even if there are some issues that need to be addressed, this often simply means further steps in your treatment plan.

How many dental implants do you need?

You may not need as many dental implants in Orpington as you think. A single implant can support a number of teeth if they are mounted on a bridge or denture. A full arch can be supported by as few as four implants, in the right circumstances.

Dental implants can be used to replace single teeth as well. If you have healthy teeth remaining, they do not need to be taken out or filed down in order to have dental implants fitted. Your dentist will make a precise plan to avoid damage or stress to your existing teeth during fitting.

Does your mouth need preparation?

Some circumstances in your mouth can be adjusted to make the environment more suitable for dental implants. For example, if you do not have the necessary height or thickness in your jawbone to support the actions of your new teeth, your dentist can build the area up using a bone graft. This is where material is taken from elsewhere in your body and added to the jawbone. It fuses in place and creates a foundation for you dental implants.

How long will it take to heal?

Everyone is different when it comes to healing. An average time for healing after dental implants is 8-12 weeks. However, the extent of your procedure, your health and lifestyle factors, like smoking, can all affect your progress. Your dentist plans regular check-ups with you during this time.