Implant terms and conditions

Courtesy of Alex Jones at penistone Dental Care:

In the mean time you should be aware of the following.

An implant is the closest thing to a like for like tooth replacement currently available. It is a titanium screw, which is placed into the jawbone. An implant is placed directly into the bone and then require a three-month period to integrate with the bone. This means that bone actually grows into the threads on the implant and the implant becomes more solid than a tooth root. Following this period we can place a crown, bridge or denture on the implant (s). The advantage of implant therapy is that the teeth either side of the gap are not involved in the treatment and the implant therapy is a stand-alone treatment. Success rates with dental implants are greater than any other kind of dental restoration (around 97%). At Penistone Dental Care we place Nobel Biocare implants (www.nobelbiocare.com). Nobel Biocare are recognised as the world leaders in the field of dental implants and we are proud to be associated with them.

During treatment:

Ensure that your oral hygiene remains good and therefore your periodontal status remains stable otherwise the success of your implants as well as your long term dental health may be affected.

I strongly advise you to attend our hygienist as periodontal health is paramount to successful implant therapy.

From time to time bone does not grow around dental implants. This is usually due to localised poor blood supply or unfavourable healing.

The expected success rates are typically in the region of 90% in the upper jaw and 95% in the lower. This means that in theory one in ten upper implants may become loose and require removal. Should this occur in the short term we will take all steps to replace the implant for you as long as this is possible. If this is not possible, or you do not wish to do this, the there is insurance you can take out against failure for a small additional fee. Should there be long-term failure of the implant (after it has been restored) then again, there is insurance that we would recommend you take out to safeguard against this.

Research has shown that the failure rate of dental implants is doubled in people who smoke. Smoking cessation is advised if you currently smoke. As smoking reduces the success of implant therapy, we will void any guarantees we would normally offer regarding free replacements for failures in smokers.

Bleeding may occur after surgery, but this can usually be resolved by applying pressure with a gauze pack or clean handkerchief for 20 minutes. If this does not stop, you should contact me.

Recession: The gum around the implant may eventually recede resulting in the implant becoming visible. In such cases, the crown may need to be changed to one with gum coloured porcelain at its neck. The fee for the replacement crown will be the usual fee at the time of replacement.

Whilst undergoing the active phase of implant therapy, it is strongly advised that you to attend the hygienist at regular intervals to aid the gum healing around the implants.

Wear can take place on restorations (crowns, bridges) in the long term as well as on your own existing teeth. Your bite will be restored so as to minimise this happening.

There is no guarantee that the implant therapy will be successful due to individual patient differences. There exists a risk of the implant becoming loose and needing to be removed despite the care provided.

However, to put this into perspective, we have a very small failure rate usually influenced by the patient’s inability to follow the correct maintenance procedures as described.

Please remember that the published success rates were for treatment carried out on fit and healthy people who had enough bone quality and quantity.

Preoperative Instructions

As you will be having the procedure under local anaesthetic (injections in the mouth only); you can eat and drink lightly prior to the procedure.

If you can use Corsodyl mouthwash up to the day of surgery this may reduce the risk of infection.

Do not wear any makeup, face creams, lipstick and please be clean-shaven if possible.

Smoking cessation protocol, if relevant, should be followed for 6 weeks preoperatively to help improve healing and reduce the risk of infection and failure. The incidence of implant failure is doubled in smokers.

Postoperative Instructions

Please arrange for someone to accompany you and drive you home in case you are feeling tired after the procedure.

A few days absence from work is sometimes required for recovery, although this is highly variable, many of our patients return to work the following day with no problems.

A course of antibiotics will be prescribed for pre and post-operative use to reduce the risk of infection. Taking painkillers regularly rather than when the pain starts will be more effective.

It may be useful to place an icepack wrapped in a towel (NOT directly on your skin!) on your jaw to reduce swelling and bruising.

Please refrain from exercise and effort for 24 hours.

You must clean your mouth as normal.

After the first day you can continue to rinse several times a day with Corsodyl.

Long-term maintenance and good oral hygiene are important for long-term survival of your implants.

Terms and conditions

The treatment will be broken into stages and our method of payment is 50% deposit prior to commencement of any treatment stage and the balance payable seven days prior to completion of each stage. We accept all credit cards but the credit card commission of 5% must also be paid. Because your treatment involves long appointments, should you cancel any stage at any less than 48 hours notice, the whole fee for that appointment will be payable.

Standard Insurance is available