Before carrying out any treatment, the surgeon will take a medical history, give a full assessment and then start the implant work. This involves making models of your upper and lower jaw before the titanium body is implanted. The dental surgeon may also make a temporary denture for you to wear while your gum and bone heal. The titanium body is then inserted, under a local anaesthetic, into the jaw.
Many patients report that after a while their dentures become progressively looser and do not fit as well as they once did. Initially the increased rate of bone loss following extractions is responsible for the observed deterioration of denture fit. Over the long-term it is the direct effect of chewing forces that causes slow resorption of supporting bone. Most people who have had dentures for many years will have needed a reline procedure to compensate for this bone loss. Therefore the longer dentures are worn, the more the amount of bone available for dental implants may be reduced.
Whilst not suitable for everyone, with proper preparation it is sometimes possible to fit new implant-supported teeth on the same day. This fast-track treatment can be applied to a number of different situations, however, you do have to balance shorter treatment times against an increased risk of implant failure.
Once the implant has bonded naturally with your bone, the dentist will make a final model of your jaws on which to create the finished denture which can be attached to the implants.
If you have no teeth in the lower jaw, and are not yet ready for multiple implant placements, a conventional lower denture can be considerably improved with two implants placed beneath the front section - this is called an 'overdenture'. The same overdenture concept when used to treat the upper jaw, will usually require more implants as the bone is generally softer. Implant-supported overdentures, just like conventional dentures are still removed for daily cleaning, however, once back in the mouth, the implants make them much more stable.
There are many options and every case can be dealt with in a number of ways. You will therefore need to talk to someone who has examined your mouth thoroughly, before having a clear idea as to what is possible.
Dental implants have to obey simple engineering principles, in that they must be placed in strong foundations with enough of them to prevent overloading. In addition each implant must be accessible for daily cleaning so that the biology of the mouth can be used to maintain healthy surrounding bone and gum.