Hamilton & Waikato

Dental Implants

Your implant treatment involves a team of experts, including your oral surgeon who surgically prepares and places your implant. Your dentist/dental specialist who designs and fits your crowns, and the technician who actually constructs the crowns.

There can be a delay of several months between the surgical placement of your implants and the eventual prosthetics being made and fitted to them.

Dental Implants Guide

What You Need to Know About Dental Implants

This online patient advisory is intended to provide you with general information. It is not a substitute for advice from your oral and maxillofacial surgeon. You are encouraged to discuss the benefits and risks of treatment with your surgeon. This is an abridged version of the ANZAOMS patient education pamphlet: “Dental Implants – a guide for patients”.

The complete four-page pamphlet is available from your surgeon. It discusses the benefits of implants, treatment decisions, types of implants and prostheses, implant surgery, recovery, success rates, and possible complications of surgery.

Download Dental Implants - a guide for patients PDF

Modern Implant Solutions

Options for Replacing Missing Teeth with Dental Implants

People with missing teeth may benefit from techniques that allow artificial teeth to be implanted firmly in the mouth.

These techniques include:

  • replacement of one missing tooth with a crown
  • replacement of several missing teeth with a bridge
  • use of a fixed prosthesis or a removable overdenture to treat a dental arch with no teeth.

Many different types of implants and prostheses are available for people with different needs.

Implant designs, materials and techniques have improved greatly over the past 20 years and are continuing to improve. Dental implants are an important part of modern dentistry, and millions of people around the world have had dental implants.

The following outlines the general flow of events:

Referral for extraction

Consultation with Specialist Implant Surgeon

Cone Beam Scan and Bone assessment to determine if any bone grafting is required and to assist with implant planning

OMS surgeon liases with your dentist/specialist for models, surgical guides and suckdown/partial denture (temporary tooth replacement)

Alternatively your OMS surgeon may do your implant planning entirely digitally in conjunction with your dentist/specialist/lab technician.

Implant Planning and cost estimation

Sedation or General Anaesthetic for Your Surgery

Booked for surgery either with sedation or under a general anaesthetic related to complexity of your case or personal preference.

Implant placement, if stable a healing abutment will be visible through the gum.

You will require no further surgery with OMS and will be discharged to your dentist/specialist for prosthetics.

Minor Surgery May Be Needed for Implant Healing

If your implant requires more time to fully integrate in your bone the gum tissue will be sutured over and one other minor surgery will be required to access the implants and affix the healing abutments.

It is extremely important for you to contact our office if you feel your implant abutments are loose

Implant Surgery

Your surgeon makes an incision to open the gum tissue. In most patients and with most types of implants, the implant is inserted into the jaw bone. The incision is then closed with sutures. So the jawbone can reach maximum strength in retaining the implant, the bone around the implant is allowed to heal for up to six months.

The implants must be held strongly within the jawbone to withstand the forces of chewing and normal function.

The final fitting of the prosthesis is typically completed by a prosthodontist or dentist.

To fit various parts of the implant and allow complete healing, the treatment process can take a number of months. Your surgeon will give you an indication of the likely time in your case

Dental Implant Brochure

Your medical history

Your surgeon needs to know your medical history to plan the best treatment for you. Tell your surgeon about ALL medicines that you take and other health problems you may have. Some may interfere with surgery, anaesthesia and recovery.

A decision to have surgery

As you make the decision whether to have implant surgery, be sure that you understand the risks, benefits and limitations of dental implants. Only you can decide if dental implants are right for you. If you have any questions, ask your surgeon.

Anaesthesia

Implant surgery may be performed under local anaesthesia, local anaesthesia with conscious sedation, or general anaesthesia. Your surgeon will explain more about the type of anaesthesia that is best in your case.

Possible risks and complications

Modern techniques have greatly improved the outcomes of implant surgery. However, there are risks of complications, as with all types of surgery. Risks of complications and additional information are more fully outlined in the complete four-page ANZAOMS patient education pamphlet and should be discussed with your oral and maxillofacial surgeon

Experience Expert Care at Anglesea OMS

With state-of-the-art technology and highly experienced surgeons, Anglesea OMS is dedicated to providing the highest level of oral and maxillofacial care. Book your appointment today—no referral needed!