Losing a tooth can affect individuals dramatically through difficulty eating, embarrassment of appearance and loss of confidence.

A tooth can be lost for many reasons including gum disease, tooth decay and trauma. However, here at Peppermint we believe there is no reason why you should live without your teeth or with a compromised smile. There may be different options available to replace lost teeth each with their own merits. One such option would be a dental implant.

When you lose your tooth, you lose everything, the crown (the visible part) and the root (the buried part) Implants can provide a safe way of replacing any number of teeth without having to damage adjacent healthy teeth. Implants are not new, they have been in use for the best part of half a century and today's scientifically engineered implants have success rates of over 96%.

So what is a Dental Implant?

It is a small titanium screw which acts as an artificial tooth root when placed in the jaw bone where a tooth has been extracted. Once the implant has integrated with the bone it is restored with either a crown, bridge or a denture (the latter used when restoring the space left by the loss of multiple teeth)

Here are the advantages:

• Implants look, feel and function like natural teeth

• They are a stable foundation for crowns, bridges and dentures

• Healthy teeth do not need to be cut down

• They will help prevent bone loss, maintaining facial features

• Implant dentures, unlike traditional dentures have no palate, having a positive effect on speech and taste

• Dental implants are a permanent replacement.

The Treatment

The timings of treatment for a dental implant may vary, dependant on individual cases. As a guide we would look to placing the implant approx 10-12 weeks after tooth extraction and then a further 10-12 weeks are allowed to the implant to integrate before preparing for the restoration.

A dental implant can provide a fantastic solution to replacing lost teeth and when placed in the appropriate circumstances and in the correct environment they will have every chance of success. We want to be able to provide you with the desired results of both function and aesthetics.

Before embarking on implant treatment, we will provide a thorough and detailed consultation to include intra oral examination, radiographs and impressions which provide a record of your teeth, their position and your bite. On occasions it may be necessary to request a detailed bone scan.

During the whole treatment process we work very closely with the dental technician who will be responsible for making a functional and aesthetically pleasing restoration. At the consultation visit and indeed after, you will have opportunity to ask and discuss concerns you may have.

Once the treatment plan has been mutually agreed, we will confirm the sequence of treatment, the associated cost and the necessary appointments needed to restore your smile.