Although you can walk away from our dental clinic with a new smile after just a couple of hours on the 1st visit, there are usually 3 stages to the overall dental implant procedure and process.
In a typical dental implant case, 3 short visits are required and each visit should be an overnight stay spaced evenly over 3-5 months according to the implantologists instructions.
Each time you will be picked up and dropped off at the airport by Philip as usual and free of charge, and Monika and I will help you with arranging suitable accommodation during your dental trip.
The dental implant procedure in your dental clinic abroad:
Visit 1: Immediately upon arrival, or early morning if you arrive in the evening – Smile consultation to discuss your desires and options, OPG digital x-ray, dental implantation, temporary crowns, bridges or denture fitted, and dissolvable stitches placed.
Just as with breaking your arm or leg, The implant will need a few months to heal and integrate with the jawbone before the next visit is made (typically 2 months lower jaw, 3 months upper jaw).
(In some cases tooth extractions may be necessary, or a sinus lift / bone graft if there is not enough bone present to support the dental implants – please click here for more information about bone substitution if you think that is the case with you)
Visit 2: The dental implant is checked for success, healing abutment placed, dental impressions made for the final dental crowns, new temporary crowns or bridge fitted.
Visit 3: Final implant abutment and dental crowns / bridgework fitted. No additional treatment is needed, although it’s recommended to go for regular dental hygiene sessions in the UK to keep the area free of bacteria. You can expect to smile a lot, and feel that the new tooth fits and functions just like a natural tooth.
Does it hurt?
No, not at all. All implant dentistry is done under local anesthetic administered by a digital method called “quick sleep” which minimizes the feel of the anesthetic as it touches your gum, and makes sure that you feel no pain during the treatment whatsoever.
What about one day implants?
There are advertisements offering immediate implants, or one day implants, but be careful because most people are not suitable candidates for one day implants. It is relatively rare case when somebody fits with all the conditions needed to have one day implants, which is very dependant on the ideal jawbone structure and implant position. If you can have one day implants you will need a 2nd visit to the clinic to get the final crowns or bridges to the implants.
How soon after a tooth extraction can an implant be fitted?
If you have had a tooth extracted at least 4 to 10 weeks earlier or you have missing teeth, or there is no tooth extraction needed, the implantation can usually start during your 1st visit.
If needed, the dentist can extract the tooth. In about 47% of cases the implant can be done immediately at the time of extraction. But if there is any infection present, after the tooth extraction you will have to wait between 2 to 3 months for the bone to heal before an implant case be placed. During the healing period you can have a temporary tooth.
And if I need a bone graft / sinus lift as well?
During the 1st visit you will have a dental examination to determine whether the dental implant is the best option for you. You will have a panoramic digital OPG x-ray and several tests to make sure that the jawbone is healthy enough to carry the dental implant, and if the level of the jawbone line is high enough for successful dental implantation (in most cases it is).
If your jawbone is not strong enough you will need a bone graft or sinus lift during your 1st visit. In about 50% of cases, after bone grafting you will have to wait at least 2-3 months for the bone graft to heal, especially if there is some infection present, otherwise an implant can be fitted at the same time.