Dental implants are titanium replacements for missing teeth which are placed in the jaw bones. They look and serve just like normal teeth and restore confidence, appearance, speech and function.
Once teeth are lost, the bone in which they were embedded gradually disappears because it is no longer required to support the teeth. Traditionally, the options to replace lost teeth were removable dentures or fixed bridges. As with all man-made substitutes for nature’s living tissues, there are drawbacks to these artificial appliances. Dentures reduce eating efficiency and can suffer from poor retention and stability. Many people find dentures difficult to control and embarrassing to wear. On the other hand, bridges may involve cutting away healthy tooth tissue in order to provide support. This cutting of tooth tissue may lead to later problems with the tooth, or teeth, in question.
Dental implants provide a solution to the problems associated with the replacement of missing teeth by conventional means. They avoid the need to damage healthy teeth when providing bridges, are more secure than bridges that attach to teeth with ‘bonded wings’ and they can be used to hold a denture securely in place.
At our Practice, dental implants are placed by Dr Robert Bolt who is a Clinical Lecturer and registered Specialist in Oral Surgery. He is both medically and dentally qualified and is Director of the University of Sheffield “One-to-One” dental implantology course. Dr. Bolt is also lead for the University of Sheffield’s undergraduate dental implantology curriculum, and delivers a number of lectures and practical classes to both undergraduate and postgraduate students throughout the year.
Dr. Bolt is very happy to offer an appointment if you are considering dental implants as an option for replacing missing teeth, or for supporting an unstable denture. Referrals for dental implants can be made by clicking here.