Dental Implants

After 20 years, 90% of dental implants will still be working well within the mouth. The 10% of implants that fail over 20 years are usually attributable to cemented restorations, smoking and or patient history of periodontal disease.

There are very few absolute contra-indications to having dental implants placed:

• Radiation therapy to the head and neck, which would involve consultation with your oncologist to check the precise area affected.
• If you present with active periodontal disease, the first step we take is to treat this condition to ensure that there are no active pockets deeper than 5mm. Our periodontal team are well versed in preparing patients for dental implants, and maintaining them in the long term.
• If you are a smoker, but do not present with active gum disease, we can proceed with dental implants, however, there is a high risk that you will lose bone around your dental implants over time. For this reason, we would strongly encourage you to quit smoking before embarking on dental implant treatment to safeguard your investment.
• If you are a smoker and have active periodontal disease, we cannot proceed with dental implants until your gum disease is fully treated and, ideally, you have stopped smoking.
• There is a large overlap between post-menopausal women often on bisphosphonate drugs and a need for dental implants, which the team at Vermilion are very experienced at handling and who will liaise closely with your physician.
• Osteoporosis and osteopenia are not contra–indications for the placement of dental implants.

In terms of implant surgery, our surgical team will carefully outline the relevant risks to each patient during their consultation appointment. It is also during this appointment that we may do a cone-beam CT scan to ensure that there are no surprises when it comes to surgery.

We understand that there are many patients who have genuine dental phobia caused by previous adverse experiences at the dentist. To help you feel at ease, we have been offering intravenous sedation delivered by our consultant anaesthetists since 2017.

The most critical factor for long-term dental implant success is excellent oral hygiene, specifically a plaque score less than 10%. Since our inception in 2011, our implant team has placed huge emphasis on dental hygiene for every patient referred for dental implants. This long term supportive periodontal therapy, combined with annual reviews by our experienced implant dentists for the first three – five years, is designed to give you the best possible outcome.

The mouth is a very hostile environment with huge chewing forces exerted upon teeth 24/7. Your dental implants are subject to wear and tear in a similar way as natural teeth would be, so it is reasonable to expect, depending on your age, that the crown or bridge may need to be replaced during your lifetime. This risk varies from person to person, but is particularly relevant for patients who clench or grind their teeth.

It is rare that we are unable to place dental implants due to a lack of bone. If you have been advised in the past that you have insufficient bone, you should not be put off. With modern implant designs and the advances in bone grafting techniques, we are usually able to help you.