Everything you need to know about dental implants from our dentist in Crawley
Struggling with missing teeth can be uncomfortable and embarrassing, and you may not know what to do. Luckily, here at Enhance Dental we provide dental implants to patients who are going through this. If you happen to lose a tooth, or have multiple teeth missing, then don’t hesitate to contact us today for an appointment and we will do everything possible to help you with the power of dental implants.
What is a dental implant?
A dental implant is a metal screw that is inserted into the bone in the area of the missing tooth/teeth. They act as a strong foundation for a crown, bridge or dentures, which we can provide you here at our practice.
Single tooth implant
A common type of implant that our dentist in Crawley provides is a single tooth implant. This is one of the more basic forms of a dental implant, but can make a big difference if you have a missing tooth. We will do this by firstly inserting the implant screw into the bone in the desired area. We will then close the area back up and leave it to heal for a while, which is a very important part of the process. During the healing time, the implant will fuse to your bone, creating a strong foundation for your new tooth.
Once the area has healed and the bone has fused to the implant, we will attach a crown, which is a tooth-shaped piece of porcelain that is custom-made to fit your mouth. This is when you will really see the difference that an implant can make.
Implant-supported bridge
The second dental implant option that we provide is for slightly more severe cases. Simply put, a bridge is a group of crowns that have been attached to each other to form a replacement for up to 4 teeth.
Usually, a bridge is held in place by the support of the surrounding teeth. Whereas with an implant-supported bridge, our dentist in Crawley attaches it to your bone using dental implants which can create a stronger foundation. This can be such a great help if you have lost a few teeth that are all next to each other, as it can be very difficult to do things such as eat and talk when you are suffering with that.
Implant-supported denture
An implant-supported denture is a final option our dentist in Crawley can provide for teeth replacement and is for the most severe cases of missing teeth. You may know a denture as a removable set of top or bottom teeth, which are effective but are not fused to the bone. When we provide you with an implant-supported denture, you can benefit from the improved appearance that normal dentures bring, but with a more stable foundation due to the implants holding it in place. When you have a whole set of teeth replaced with our implant-supported denture, it can really help you with being able to eat and talk normally again, and that is why we are so proud to offer it to our patients.