What is a dental implant?

Bridges and dentures are not the only options when it comes to replacing missing teeth. When you have a missing tooth or teeth, it’s not just your appearance that’s compromised but also your oral health. The loss of a tooth can result in teeth on either side of the gap moving out of position and into the space.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are titanium roots, that are replaced with in the jawbone to resemble a tooth or group of teeth. A screw is inserted through the gums and into the jawbone. A porcelain crown is then attached to the screw to become the new tooth or teeth. They can be used to support dental prosthesis including crowns, dentures, and bridges. Today’s treatments are so natural looking, no one will know you had surgery. There’s approximately a 95% success rate for all implants. With modern advances in dentistry, some implants can be restored immediately with life like all porcelain crowns. For more details ask your dentist.


Additionally, tooth roots help maintain the strength and density of your jawbone as well as muscle tone.

A dental implant is a fine, surgical grade, pure titanium screw or post that’s placed into the upper or lower jawbone during a minor surgical procedure, which can be completed under local or general anaesthetic. Titanium has been used successfully in medicine for many years as it naturally integrates with bone.

The dental implant is a replacement for the missing tooth root to which a crown, bridge or denture is then secured.

Why choose dental implants?

The greatest advantage of a dental implant is that they look, feel and function like natural teeth. They also provide an alternative solution to dental bridges, which rely on healthy teeth on either side of the space for support.

Implant placement is regularly performed at Red Hill Dental Practice and is usually done in three different treatment stages:

  1. Consultation, examination and 3D Digital X-ray (low radiation dose)
  2. Implant placement into the jaw bone
  3. Attachment of an artificial tooth, crown or denture to the implant

An implant rests under the gum for several months. During this time it fuses to the jawbone and becomes osseo (bone) integrated. After the appropriate healing time, we uncover the implants and use them to replace one or more missing teeth by creating a dental prosthesis (e.g. crown, bridge or denture).

From surgical placement of the implant to the fitting of the crown, bridge or denture the complete implant process can take from three to four months or more if bone grafting is required. This depends on factors such as your general and dental health, the amount of bone, rate of healing, degree of integration between the implant and the bone and the extent of any other dental problems.

A thorough evaluation by our team at Red Hill Dental Practice will help determine if you are a good candidate for this procedure.