A patient’s dental and medical history plays an important part in the long-term success of dental implants. Moreover, good dental hygiene also goes a long way in ensuring the success of dental implants. Offering some of the best dental care in Ilkley, we at The Burley Dental Suite felt it would be a good idea to address ten things that patients should keep in mind, to ensure that their dental implant remains healthy and functional for as long as possible.
10 Dental Implant Treatment Factors that Ensure Success
Our dental implant surgeons based at our Ilkley dental practice have some advice and protocols for you to follow.
#1 – Patient Medical Fitness
Firstly, the dentist must ensure that the patient has a sound medical history. If the patient falls into the high-risk category, the dentist must inform the patient about realistic expectations from the procedure.
#2 – Patient Hygiene
We diagnose and assess the health and cleanliness of the patient’s mouth, and treat any ongoing disease before any dental implant treatment. We follow a strict protocol with regards to dental hygiene, otherwise the dental implants can become compromised due to the presence of plaque in the mouth. At our dental practice in Ilkley, we at The Burley Dental Suite enlighten our patients that whilst implants may and often do last for several decades, patients would require regular maintenance visits.
#3 – Planning the Approach with Patient Clarity
We believe in planning the treatment properly, defining the objectives clearly, and informing the patient as well. This helps the patient understand the scope of the treatment and what to expect and what not to expect. We have a responsibility to be open and frank with our patients and we encourage you to visit our dentists in Ilkley to see for yourself.
#4 – Bone Consistency and Volume
For a dental implant to be successful, there must be consistency in the bone, and the bone volume must be adequate. In some cases, where the bone is lacking, we are required to utilise other methods such as bone regeneration or soft tissue grafts. If the dental implant is placed in minimal bone with insufficient thickness in the soft tissue, the implant would likely fail due to peri-implant diseases and long-term bone and gum recession.
#5 – Recovery Time
After the dental implant, it takes adequate time to heal. The tissues must mature and the bone and gum must reform and heal. This process can take a while. Therefore, we insist on never rushing the treatment. During the recovery time, we review our patient’s dental condition strictly to ensure proper healing and hygiene. Having said this, dental implants can be placed and finished in one day, giving patients who are busy minimal time spent without teeth.
#6 – Access to Cleaning
When placing the dental prosthesis (e.g. denture, bridge, and crown) on the implant, we ensure that the design is in such a way that it allows easy access for cleaning, both for the patient and the dental hygienist. We give our patients proper instructions on how to keep the implants clean and some good habits to adopt for the long-term. If the prosthesis is cemented in place, we make sure we remove any excess cement thoroughly, as residual cement can lead to inflammation around the implants.
#7 – Patient Daily Care
We inform the patient that dental implants need a high level of daily care. They must brush, floss, and use other cleaning aids to maintain proper dental hygiene. We also encourage them to book regular hygiene and examination appointments, so that we can help them maintain the health of the implants for much longer.
Over the years, we have established a correlation between the frequency of hygiene and longevity of dental implants, with the ideal frequency of hygiene visits being every three months.
#8 – Complications
As one of the few dentists in Ilkley offering a whole range of dental implant treatments, we are proud to enjoy high success rates at The Burley Dental Suite. However, no dental treatment comes without the risk of complications. Thankfully, most complications are very simple to put right and all of the risks will be explained to you prior to treatment.
#9 – Materials
As we are a fully private dental practice, we can use the very best dental laboratories at our Ilkley dental practice. We use only the best quality of dental implants and materials to ensure high success rates with our dental implant treatments.
#10 – Low-cost Treatments
We discourage patients from opting for low-cost treatments that can be found, for example adverts for dental implants abroad. As a reputable Ilkley dentist, we always look out for our patients and give them the best advice and assistance possible. If you have any questions regarding dental treatment, then please get in touch.
Talk to a Dentist in Ilkley Today
If you are still unsure about dental implants, feel free to book an appointment with us. We will have a look and give you the best and most appropriate advice.