Don’t be afraid to Smile!
There’s no need to feel uncomfortable out in public, embarrassed because your smile looks different, or worrying that missing teeth will limit you from enjoying social interactions. Or perhaps that your removable dentures or tooth-supported replacement teeth will loosen or fall out when you talk, eat or laugh. Teeth restored with dental implants are teeth that let you lead your life with confidence. Implants will blend naturally with your remaining teeth, without damaging them. In fact, dental implants can even preserve the adjacent bone and gum tissue. With regular maintenance, dental implants can last a lifetime, providing welcome relief from the noticeable signs of ageing that premature tooth loss can hasten.
What is a dental implant?
Technically, a dental implant is a small but very strong post made from biocompatible metals or ceramics. Under local anesthetic, it is inserted into the jaw bone in place of the missing tooth root and acts as a support for the tooth. Dental implant therapy is today’s long-term, state of the art restoration technique that can cover all indications. It has been scientifically tested and used in the last three decades by qualified dentists and surgeons worldwide.
Enjoy life without worrying about your teeth
Benefits of dental implants
Best replacement option
Strong and stable, a dental implant restores a lost tooth so that it looks, feels, fits and functions like a natural tooth. They are the next best thing to healthy, natural teeth.
Easier to speak with
Adjusting to removable dentures can mean struggling to pronounce everyday words. Not so with dental implants, which function like natural teeth.
Retain your facial shape
A dental implant ensures there is no sagging jawbone which helps retain your natural face shape and smile. A face without teeth can easily sag, appearing sunken and sad.
Eat your favourite foods
Taste and enjoy the foods you love without hesitation. You can bite naturally, eat virtually anything you want and, unlike removable dentures that can feel uncomfortable, you can experience the full taste of the food you eat.
No more cavities
Cavities can’t occur in an implant-restored crown, or replacement tooth. However, you will still need to visit your dentist regularly as well as clean and care for it and your gums, the same as you would if it were a natural tooth.
Keep teeth in place
Dentures may slip when you eat, talk, smile, laugh, kiss, yawn or cough. Dental implants are fixed in place and fuse naturally with your jawbone, meaning your replacement teeth won’t move, click or shift.
Protect healthy bone
Leaving empty spaces in your mouth after losing one or more teeth can lead to additional health issues. When it is not being used to support a natural tooth, the jawbone deteriorates, losing its strength and firmness. Dental implants are the only dental restoration option that preserves and stimulates natural bone growth.
Long-term solution, built to last
Traditional, tooth-supported dental bridges usually last a maximum of 10 years if they are properly cared for, and at some point, they may need to be replaced. While dental implants may need periodic adjustments, they can last a lifetime when properly placed and cared for.
Reliable and predictable
Dental implant treatment has a track record of reliable, long-term successful outcomes and is often considered more predictable than other treatments. Dental implants can be used to replace a single tooth, several teeth, or all of the teeth. The goal of teeth replacement is to restore function as well as aesthetics.
Protect your healthy teeth
Placing a tooth-supported bridge requires grinding away the teeth on one or both sides of the missing tooth or teeth – thereby damaging healthy teeth to restore those that are missing. The modified healthy teeth are attached to, and support, the bridge. Dental implants go in the jawbone, in the spot where your missing tooth root was, without impacting healthy teeth. They also help prevent healthy, adjacent teeth from shifting as they would if an empty space were left for an extended period of time.
Implants vs traditional dentures
For some people, ordinary bridges and dentures are simply not comfortable or even possible, due to sore spots, poor ridges or gagging. An advantage of implants is that no adjacent teeth need to be prepared or ground down to hold your new replacement tooth/teeth in place.
Dentures and bridges mounted to implants won’t slip or shift in your mouth. This secure fit helps the dentures and bridges as well as individual crowns placed over implants to feel more natural than conventional bridges or dentures.
Not sure if implants are right for you?
With dental implants each case is different, however, in general, to be suitable you must:
- Have a reasonable amount of bone tissue to accommodate an implant within your jaw. If not, these may be reconstructed by your periodontist
- Be free from periodontal diseases, which are best treated by a periodontist
- Be a non-smoker (you’ll have to give up smoking during the healing process at the very least). Smoking may negatively influence long-term success of your implant
- Have your non-restorable teeth removed by your periodontist in preparation for an immediate or eventual implant restoration
A dental implant is a surgical fixture that is placed into the jawbone and allowed to fuse with the bone over the span of a few months. They are metal posts or frames that are surgically positioned into the jawbone beneath your gums. Once in place, they allow us to mount replacement teeth onto them.
At OptiSmile we utilise advanced computerised dentistry technology and thanks to our CEREC systems, can provide implant treatment in just one session. This technology also allows us to provide patients with inlays, onlays, crowns and veneers in only one appointment. Our CEREC CAD systems can produce a computer-designed restoration of your tooth in less than 2 hours.
Over time, technology and science have progressed to greatly improve the outcomes of dental implant placement. Dental implants can last a lifetime, providing welcome relief from the noticeable signs of aging that premature tooth loss can hasten.
They will blend naturally with your remaining teeth, without damaging them. In fact, dental implants can preserve the adjacent bone and gum tissue that is often worn down with conventional dentures and bridgework. Dental implants can provide our patients with the self-confidence that a complete smile brings.
Dental Implants
What options are available to you?
There are 3 different types of dental implants. Depending on your individual circumstances, your Smile approved dental professional will decide which kind is best suited to you. The dental implants in Cape Town cost is determined by factors such as the type of teeth implants used.
Endosseous Implants
Cylinder or screw-shaped, endosseous implants are made of metal, ceramic or ceramic-coated metal and are placed within the jawbone.
Subperiosteal Implants
Subperiosteal implants consist of a metal framework that attaches on top of the jawbone but underneath the gum tissue.
Transosteal Implants
Transosteal implants are either a metal pin or a u-shaped frame that passes through the jawbone and the gum tissue into the mouth.
Why Get A Dental Implant?
Not sure if implants are right for you?
Dental implants provide many benefits over traditional forms of tooth replacement:
- They Last much longer than bridges or dentures
- An implant will prevent bone loss associated with missing teeth
- They are a great replacement option to removable dentures and bridges.
- No wear and tear on surrounding teeth is caused
- They are aesthetically pleasing and very natural looking
- Allow patient to eat hard foods with confidence
- Patients experience an increase in self confidence
- There are no age restriction for a dental implant (unlike alternative options)
Optismile does the best teeth implants in Cape Town. Our dentists will thoroughly explain the available options to you and discuss the tooth implant cost as well.
Is A Dental Implant Right For Me?
The first question that you will need to ask is: “am I a suitable candidate for a dental implant procedure?”
Procedures such as teeth whitening may sometimes be a ‘one size fits all’, with dental implants each case is different, however, in general, to be suitable you must:
- Have a reasonable amount of dense bone tissue in your jaw
- Be free from a condition known as periodontal disease (which is a form of gum disease)
- Be a non-smoker (you’ll have to give up smoking during the healing process at the very least)
What Products do OptiSmile use?
At OptiSmile we use endosteal dental implants. These are surgically implanted directly into the jawbone. Once the surrounding gum tissue has healed, a second surgery is needed to connect a post to the original implant. Finally, an artificial tooth (or teeth) is attached to the post-individually, or grouped on a bridge or denture.
The great majority of modern implants today are endosteal (i.e. placed with alveolar bone) in design.
Endosteal implants are subdivided into several different types characterised by their geometry, shape, surfaces and function and materials:
- Cylindrical or root form implants
- Blade implants and the ramus frame
- Pin implants
- Disc implants
- Pterygoid or zygomatic implants
- Transosteal implants
Enjoy life without worrying about your teeth. There’s no need to feel uncomfortable out in public, embarrassed because your smile looks different, or worry that missing teeth will limit you from enjoying social interactions. No need to worry that removable dentures or tooth-supported replacement teeth will loosen or fall out when you talk, eat or laugh. Teeth restored with dental implants are teeth that let you lead your life with confidence. Contact OptiSmile today to make an appointment or simply to find out more about the procedure.
