Q. What exactly is a Dental Implant?

A. It is a permanent false tooth that is fixed into place by anchoring it to the jaw

Q. Who performs such surgery, is it a plastic surgeon or a dentist?

A. A dentist is a wide expression, and some dentists are not surgeons. Usually a dental surgeon will perform such an operation. It isn’t a cosmetic operation as such as it has a very practical use.

Q. Who is likely to want a dental implant?

A. Any patient who has a problem tooth would qualify for a dental implant, it is very common in cases where a tooth is badly damaged through chipping or a bad crack, and cannot be saved.

Q. Can I get a dental implant in every town/city or is it something that is so specialised clinics are few and far between?

A. You can get this operation anywhere, as a dentist in the City of London I can assure you most towns and cities have dental surgeries that perform dental implant operations.

Q. Is it expensive compared to say false teeth on a plate?

A. Not really, a plate of false teeth is a lot cheaper than a set of dental implants, but this procedure is really recommended for individual teeth rather than a whole set.

Q. So what exactly is entailed in this procedure?

A. A dentist will remove the old damaged tooth and clean up the jaw line. Then a hole is drilled into the jaw where the old tooth was, a plate is fitted that has a central screwed hole. The new tooth is made by an Orthodontist and fitted with a screw; it is designed from digital pictures of the patients mouth and jaw line. The new tooth is then quite simply screwed into place, and can be used just the old natural tooth.