If you’ve been thinking about having dental implants in Richmond or indeed anywhere else in the country, then one thing you can be sure of is that it’s going to be an expensive and time consuming commitment, especially if you’re after a sustained level of oral health. However, since other methods of teeth replacement are cheaper and less time consuming, then it’s understandable why many people wrestle with the ‘should I or shouldn’t I’ factor. With this in mind, here at Sheen Dental we’ve put together some of the most popular genuine patient concerns coupled with answers in order to help you make an informed decision.
Costs
As already mentioned earlier, dental implants aren’t cheap and can in fact set you back anywhere between £900 and £2500 per tooth depending upon the circumstances. That said they really are the only long-term solution to missing teeth and are the closest thing to natural looking teeth as modern dentistry allows.
Lifespan
After cost, the next biggest concern is how long they’ll last after fitting. Sadly it’s impossible to guarantee that if you’re fitted with dental implants in Richmond, then it will last you a lifetime. In fact if any dentist gives you a lifetime guarantee, then you might want to take it with a pinch of salt. More often than not there are just too many variables which have to be taken into account. These can include standards of oral care practised by the patient, whether the patient is a smoker, drinker or diabetic and any possible infections they may pick up. That said, if dental implants are looked after then there’s no reason why they can’t last 30 or 40 years.
Surgery and recovery process
It may surprise some people to know that the surgery aspect of dental implants can be relatively quick depending upon what needs to be done. As an example, for a straight forward dental implant with no complications then you can expect surgery to take between 1-2 hours. However this does depend heavily on the number of implants fitted. In this day and age dentists practice pain-free surgery and as such a patient should feel no pain at all during the process. As with any surgery you can probably expect some degree of mild swelling and bruising (again this depends on the individual) but post-surgery pain should be minimal. It can usually be quelled using standard over-the-counter painkillers. Normality should be resumed within 7-10 days and after 2-3 weeks patients should be able to eat whatever they choose.
Age
Some people may be concerned that they are too old for dental implants. The fact of the matter is that age is no barrier to implants and if a person maintains good health both orally and physically, then there’s no reason why implants can’t be fitted. Many older people who have been fitted with dental implants say that it has improved their overall quality of life.
If you want to find out more about how dental implants in Richmond can change your life for the better why not book your free no-obligation consultation on 020 8876 5277 or visit our website at www.sheendental.co.uk and take the first steps towards changing your life for the better.