Dental implants.

Why choose a dental implant?

Missing teeth are a common reality for people of all ages, whether resulting from unexpected trauma, dental decay, or congenital factors. Regardless of the cause, the impact of a missing tooth extends far beyond aesthetics. It can significantly affect how you eat, speak, and feel about your appearance.

Dental implants offer distinct advantages over alternatives such as dentures and traditional dental bridges, ensuring your prosthetic teeth look natural and function just like real teeth.

Compared to dentures, implants withstand far greater bite pressures, restoring your dietary freedom beyond softer foods. Since they do not cover the palate, implants enable the full enjoyment of food’s tastes and sensations.

Unlike traditional dental bridges, implants do not require the cutting and reshaping of healthy, neighbouring teeth to make them fit.

Implants can help prevent bone loss in the jaw, which reduces the risk of your adjacent teeth becoming loose. They also prevent the formation of hollowed or collapsed cheeks that can occur after a tooth is extracted and left unreplaced.

And of course, the confidence boost and mental wellbeing from being able to smile freely cannot be understated. Our smiles are the most universal form of communication, and many of our Brisbane patients find that replacing their missing teeth with dental implants helps them navigate life with greater social ease.

What does a dental implant procedure involve?

There are up to four stages to a dental implant surgery, depending on whether a single stage or two-stage implant is required.

At le tooth, we prioritise your comfort during the entire dental implant procedure.

Many of our Brisbane patients are pleasantly surprised to find that the recovery is also easily managed with comprehensive pre/post-operative care including antibiotics and pain relief, allowing for a comfortable and predictable healing process.

Stage 1

Using very accurate surgical techniques, our Ascot and West End dentists make an incision in the gum tissue and place the implant in dimensionally controlled sites (depth and width) within the jawbone.

For single stage implants, an abutment is then fitted to the implant. An abutment is a metal connector that allows a crown or bridge to be attached to the implant. A temporary crown or bridge may be placed over the implant, and the gum tissue is closed to heal around the visible abutment.

If a two-stage dental implant is required, the gum tissues are closed without placing an abutment and allowed to heal for between 3 to 6 months, to ensure stability of the implant.

Stage 2 (for a two-stage implant only)

Once the implant is stable, our dentists make an incision in the gum tissue, and fit an abutment to the implant. A temporary crown or bridge may be placed over the implant, and the gum tissue is then closed to heal around the visible abutment.

Stage 3

An impression is taken of the implant, and the final, permanent implant-supported crown or bridge is then designed and custom-fabricated from high-quality, colour-matched porcelain.

Stage 4

In your final visit to our West End or Ascot dental clinic, the temporary crown or bridge is removed, and the final porcelain crown or bridge is then fitted.

Frequently asked questions.

When it comes to dental implants, these are some of the most common questions our Brisbane patients ask us.