Implants: Mr C – Whiston, Staffordshire

Mr C lost his front two central teeth in a motorcycle accident some years ago and had endured much discomfort and experienced some embarrassing situations with a partial upper denture.

To close the gaps, his then NHS dentist provided him with a two-unit denture which proved to be unreliable and uncomfortable and as time passed, his denture became very loose as the existing bone where the teeth had once been, had slowly disappeared. Following a thorough examination, Mr C was told about the possibility of replacing his denture with dental implants.

The implants would essentially replace the missing roots of his two front teeth and because he was young, fit and in a good state of health, a non-smoker and consumed a relatively low amount of alcohol, he proved to be a good candidate for this type of treatment. Mr C commenced with his implant treatment in May 2003.

It was indeed confirmed to him that because a long period of time has passed since losing his teeth, the bone that once supported them had in fact disappeared and it was therefore necessary to replace this with some artificial material which would regenerate new bone to support the implants.

Following a period of healing after the bone material had been placed (approximately 4 months) the dental implants were successfully positioned in Mr C’s upper jaw. A regular sequence of review appointments and x-rays were completed to ensure that the bone was regenerating and fusing to the new implanted roots which would eventually support Mr C’s surrogate front teeth.

Mr C had a strict oral hygiene regime to follow throughout his dental implant placement which is imperative if the placement is going to be a complete success. Once the implants were secure enough, they were then exposed so impressions could be taken to make his new front teeth.