It is perfectly normal to consider carefully the cost of any serious investment. It is a lot to spend on your mouth and it is down to each individual patient to decide if the improvements to quality of life, function, confidence and appearance are worthwhile. We only ever prescribe treatment that is necessary. If you are searching for a bargain, please keep in mind that we regularly have to repair many cases from other clinics that have gone wrong due to inadequate planning, skills or materials.

This is one of the most common concerns for people thinking about having an implant. When carried out by an experienced clinician, most dental implants are very straightforward to place, taking only about 10-15 minutes to complete the surgical part of the treatment, though clearly more complex cases may take longer.

The majority of implants are placed under a normal dental local anaesthetic. Though the local anaesthetic injections can sting a little and most of us have experienced dental injections in our mouth at some time, once you are numb, you will not feel anything sharp or painful at all throughout your treatment. You will feel some pressing and pushing during the procedure as well as some vibration during the drilling stage, but this will not be sharp or painful in any way and your dentist will check to make sure you are completely numb before they start the surgery.

For bigger procedures such as multiple implants or complex cases, sedation can be provided. Sedation is not a general anaesthetic, but makes patients feel very comfortable and relaxed and they rarely remember much about the procedure afterwards which is an advantage for many nervous patients.

Obviously, the more training and experience that the clinician carrying out your dental implant treatment has, the quicker it will be and the more comfortable you are going to be, so make sure you check out your implant surgeon thoroughly before starting treatment.

Firstly, the great news is that innovative techniques, many of which we have developed ourselves here at The Implant Centre, mean that many patients can avoid any kind of bone grafting altogether – even if you have been told you need this by others.

When it is necessary, we use many different materials for bone grafting, which are chosen on a case-by-case basis as the best material for each patient.  However, we now use synthetic, laboratory-made materials more and more, replacing the need for cow-derived products almost completely.  These synthetic products are rapidly replaced by the body’s own bone, meaning that they disappear completely from the body within a few months.

It is possible to have teeth extracted and immediately place implants into the extraction sockets – ‘Instant Implants’.  You can even then have temporary teeth added onto these implants – ‘Instant Implants and Instant Teeth’.  There are a few factors which can make it necessary to wait for healing after tooth removal before an implant can be placed; the main factor being if there is any sign of infection.  If infection is present, we need to allow a healing phase of 8-12 weeks before we can place the implants. Don’t worry because you never need to have a gap if you don’t want one – there are all sorts of temporary solutions to make sure there is no embarrassment at any stage through the implant process.

If the treatment is straight forward it can be a little as 8-10 weeks from placement of the implant to fit of the final crown.  However, sometimes treatment can take longer depending on the level of complexity of your case, with some patients not finishing for up to a year.   The exact time frame will be ascertained from your assessment at The Implant Centre.