Don’t be afraid to Smile.
Get Your Confidence Back With Dental Implants
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.
Feheem received his dental degree in 2007, from the Universities of Stellenbosch and the Western Cape in Cape Town, achieving three consecutive nominations and awards from the prestigious Golden Key society. After completing his community service year in the rural North West province, he entered as an associate in private practices around Johannesburg and Sandton. Much of his time was dedicated to the acquisition of knowledge and clinical skills necessary to treat advanced cases in practice.
He received a postgraduate diploma in oral implantology in 2009, completed the prestigious colleges of medicine primary examinations in 2010 and another postgraduate diploma in oral surgery with the University of Pretoria in 2011.
His dedication to serving the community through dentistry allowed him to spend time as a volunteer within the Maxillo-Facial surgical unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital. This experience furthermore enhanced his clinical work and stimulated him to persue various certifications via the trauma surgical unit at the University of Witwatersrand.
In 2014 Feheem, along with his wife and baby boy, grasped the opportunity to specialize within the department of Oral Medicine and Periodontology at the UWC Dental Faculty.
During his postgraduate studies he assisted in lecturing and teaching to both undergraduate and postgraduate students within the fields of implantology, periodontics and oral medicine in Cape Town.
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.
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.
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 Favorite 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.
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.
Meet Dr Feheem Bhamjee
Our highly qualified, Dr Faheem Bhamjee is a periodontist in Sea Point Cape Town.
Dr. Bhamjee is truly passionate about perio and the prevention of oral disease and tooth loss. His expertise is focussed to the preservation and reconstruction of the foundations of your smile. His advanced training in minimally invasive dental implant therapy, regenerative periodontal surgery, periodontal plastic surgery is based upon the most current scientific evidence to ensure that his patients receive biologically optimal treatment.
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?
Why Get A Dental Implant?
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)
When it comes to tooth replacement, generally, there are three options:
1) removable dental appliance (full denture or partial denture).
2) fixed dental bridge (cemented)
3) dental implant.
Deciding on which option to choose depends on many factors. Specifically, for dental implants, these factors include:
- location of missing tooth or teeth,
- quantity and quality of the jawbone where the dental implant is to be placed,
- health of the patient,
- cost,
- patient preference.
OptiSmile examines the area to be considered for a dental implant and makes a clinical assessment of whether that patient is a good candidate for the dental implant.
- Restoring dental aesthetics
- Restoring lost dental function:
- Chewing
- Speech
- Space maintenance and occlusal stability i.e. prevents tooth movement
- Orthodontic anchorage
- Convenience and comfort
- Bone preservation and prevention of weak/worn muscles after tooth loss
- They are the next best thing to healthy, natural teeth. Strong and stable, a dental implant restores a lost tooth so that it looks, feels, fits and functions like a natural tooth. Other options can lead to bone deterioration, and may interfere with eating, smiling, speaking and other activities of everyday life.
- Dental implants are a long-term solution built to last. Traditional, tooth-supported dental bridges only last five to seven years, and with proper care often more than 10 years, but at some point they may need to be replaced. While dental implants may need periodic adjustments, they can last a long when properly placed and cared for over time.
- Retain your natural face shape, and smile. A face without teeth can sag and appear sunken and sad. Dental implants allow you to maintain the natural shape of your face and smile.
- Protect healthy bone. Leaving empty spaces in your mouth after losing one or more teeth can lead to additional health issues, such as the loss and deterioration of some of your jawbone. When it is not being used to support a natural tooth, the jawbone deteriorates, losing its strength and firmness.
- Keep your teeth in your mouth – not in a cup. Dental implants allow you to keep your teeth where they belong – in your mouth. And no more worrying that your dentures might slip or fall out. Brush, floss and care for teeth that have been replaced using dental implants exactly the way you would natural teeth – in your mouth.
- Speak easy. Adjusting to removable dentures can mean struggling to pronounce everyday words. Not so with dental implants, which function like natural teeth.
- 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 with dental implants, too.
- Cavities can’t occur in an implant-restored crown, or replacement tooth; however, you will need to visit your dentist as scheduled and clean and care for it and your gums and mouth every day, the same as you would if it were a natural tooth.
- Keep teeth in place – silently. Dentures may slip when you eat, talk, smile, laugh, kiss, yawn or cough, so that you have to “reposition” them back into place in the mouth. Dental implants are fixed in place and fuse naturally with your jawbone, meaning your replacement teeth won’t move, click or shift.
- 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.
- More predictable than other repair and restoration methods. Dental implant treatment has a track record of reliable, long-term successful outcomes and is often considered “more predictable” than other treatments to repair or replace missing teeth, including bridgework, removable appliances and retreatment of failing root canal (endodontic) therapy.
- 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.
The Dental Implant Procedure at Optismile Cape Town
During the initial consultation process your OptiSmile dentist will evaluate the current condition of your teeth to see if implants are the best solution for you. If they are, they’ll proceed to take pictures or your mouth and a mould, if required, so that Digital Smile Design technology can be used to give you an idea of how your new implants will look. The CEREC/CAD technology they use will also be instrumental in the creation of the implants once you are completely happy with how your new restored smile will look.
A dental implant is commonly made up of a titanium screw and a crown. A small-diameter hole is drilled where there is no tooth in order to guide the titanium screw that holds an implant in place. To avoid damaging important jaw and facial structures like the inferior alveolar nerve in the lower jaw.
After the initial pilot hole has been drilled into the appropriate jaw site, it is slowly widened to allow placement of the implant screw. Once it is in place, the surrounding gum tissue is secured over the implant and a protective cover screw placed on top to allow the area to heal and for osseointegration (the process of fusion between the dental implant and jawbone) to occur.
After up to six months of healing, OptiSmile will uncover the implant and attach an abutment (structure which holds the crown or tooth-like replacement) to the implant. In some instances, the abutment may be attached during the initial procedure. When the abutment is in place, we then create a temporary crown.
The temporary crown serves as a template around which the gum grows and shapes itself in a natural way. This process is then completed when the temporary crown is replaced with a permanent crown.
Dental implant recovery is dependent on a number of factors, one of them being the various procedures required to complete your treatment. Maintaining diligent oral hygiene habits is required to ensure proper fusing of the implant and bone structure.
Healing from the surgical procedure to place the dental implant(s) takes up to six months, while the fitting and seating of the crown(s) can take up to two months. But the timeframe depends on individual cases and treatments. Follow-up appointments are essential for monitoring your progress.
For several days after the surgery, your diet should be restricted to soft foods. If there are stitches present, they may need to be removed, however, self-dissolving stitches that do not require removal are typically used.
Failing to brush and floss is a leading cause of implant failure, and infection can also occur if the implant and surrounding areas are not properly cleaned. Smoking is also attributed to high failure and should be avoided following implant procedures.
A dental implant acts as a replacement for the root of a missing tooth. In turn, this “artificial tooth root” serves to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Having a dental implant fused to the jawbone is the closest thing to mimicking a natural tooth because it stands on its own without affecting the nearby teeth and has great stability. “osseointegration.”
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.
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. To receive implants, you need to have healthy gums and adequate bone to support the implant. You must also commit to keeping these structures healthy. Meticulous oral hygiene and regular dental visits are critical to the long-term success of dental implants.
With decent care implants can last a very long time. This is dependent on the location of the implant and patient’s compliance with oral hygiene and dental visits. Because molars receive more stress and wear and tear, these implants typically do not last as long as implants located at the front of your mouth.
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.
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