Dental Implants

Replace missing teeth

Implants are a treatment to replace a missing tooth or teeth.

If you are missing teeth, you will know that it can have a big impact on your quality of life, often affecting your confidence, making you self-conscious and reluctant to smile, and causing difficulties in enjoying certain foods that require a full set of functioning teeth, like steak or corn on the cob.

These days, after 30 years of improvements in implant materials and techniques, there is no longer any need to put up with these restrictions on your daily life, as implant treatment at Barbour Dental Care can provide you with a permanent, robust solution.

What are implants?

Implants are effectively an artificial replacement for a tooth root. They are made of biocompatible material, normally titanium, and are fitted into your jaw bone to provide a permanent anchor for a replacement tooth to be placed on top. Once the implant has become firmly fixed in the jaw bone, a post called an abutment is attached to the implant ready for a replacement tooth to be fitted. Depending on what you require, that replacement can be a crown, a bridge or a full arch.

What are the options?

A crown is a single tooth replacement that is fitted on top of the abutment. Dental implants are also used to support a bridge which can replace multiple teeth and normally involves two implants supporting a bridge between the two, with multiple replacement teeth attached. A full arch is when a full upper or lower set of teeth needs to be replaced and the number of implants needed to support the arch will be determined by your dentist during the planning stages of the treatment. A full arch implant treatment offers a stable and longer lasting solution than dentures.

Why should I choose implants?

Dental implants look and feel like natural teeth and will give you your confidence back as they avoid worry of dentures clicking or slipping. They are also the only tooth replacement treatment that can replace the root of the missing tooth, which means they can help preserve your natural jawline, as they reduce the natural shrinkage of bone that occurs with age.