Dental implants are surgical-grade root devices that act to replace missing teeth permanently. When understanding dental implants, a good comparison is to your natural teeth. Natural teeth have two parts, above and below the gum line, the root of the tooth buried below the gum line, and the white enamel that is visible above it.

Similarly, a dental implant has the titanium component buried invisibly below the gum, and on top of it the porcelain crown which is matched to the colour of your own teeth. These artificial roots are anchored in the bone beneath the gums where they become fused into the jaw. A crown is mounted on top of the implant for a long-lasting and natural looking smile.

At Molloy Dental we, and our patients, prefer dental implants because they offer the same function as natural teeth and also help prevent bone atrophy in the jaw.
Dental implants may be used to replace a single missing or a damaged tooth, replace a denture, or to restore an entire smile.

Some of the instant benefits you can gain from Dental Implants include:

• Ability to chew again
• Confidence in your smile
• No missing gaps in your smile
• No stress and worry about your dentures
• Regain taste and smell senses when replacing dentures
• Confidence to socialise again

The placement of dental implants is a multi-step process that can typically take between 6 and 9 months to complete. It begins with a surgical procedure during which a titanium root is placed where a previous natural tooth root once was.

The gums are sutured shut over the implant, where this will stay for several months while it heals and begins fusing with the surrounding bone. Due to the nature of implant placement and its average procedure time of between 1 and 2 hours, you’ll be anesthetised and/or sedated for the duration of the treatment.

At the conclusion of the healing period, you’ll return to be fitted for permanent crowns and then later have them placed on the top of the implants permanently.