Having no confidence in your smile can affect your self-esteem dramatically. This could present itself as avoiding showing your smile in public, avoiding interactions with others, or even as far as avoiding leaving the home altogether. Having a smile you can be proud of can change the outlook you have in social situations, and this is partly why so many implantologists do the work they do – to give patients the confidence they need.
This is a similar situation to one of Dr Bagasi’s patients, who came for a short consultation at Synergy Dental clinic Blackpool regarding her unsightly upper teeth. It was clear from their first meeting together that this patient was significantly affected by her teeth. It made Dr Bagasi even more keen to help this lady, so after a general examination of her upper jaw, he strongly advised to have a full-upper arch of dental implants to replace the current set of teeth. This would provide the woman with the most realistic, permanent solution she’d be able to find for her problem. Talking to Dr Bagasi eased the patient’s concerns, and she happily agreed to further treatments.
Step one – planning implant treatment
Dental implants are an intricate and highly specialised form of cosmetic dental treatment. They are popular due to their long-lasting and unmatched realistic representation of natural teeth. While this might be the case, they require some level of planning to ensure the surgery is error-free and that risks of complications are reduced. For this, the patient required having a full CT-scan taken of the upper jaw. While x-rays can be taken for more minor surgeries and lesser risks, Dr Bagasi wanted to be as thorough as possible, as the patient was having a full-arch of implants fitted.
The CT-scan was effective in showing the overall bone level of the patient’s mouth, while it also allowed for Dr Bagasi to plan precisely for the placement of each implant in the upper jaw. Looking at the bone levels and health also made sure that the patient didn’t require any further bone grafting to the jaw to support the implants that were being placed.
Further to this, the patient was required to sign and consent to the rest of the treatment through a fully personalised treatment plan. This plan listed out every detail Dr Bagasi planned for this treatment, including costs and the possible risk factors. After consenting to this, the patient was shortly booked in for her implant surgery appointment.
Step two – the implant surgery
This stage involved the implants being placed into the jaw. Using the CT-scan guide used to plan the placement of the implants, Dr Bagasi soon got to work in filling the sites with secure implants. The surgery is usually booked up for either the full morning or the full afternoon, as each implant usually requires at least two hours to be placed correctly.
Step three – impressions and healing
It is typical for the implants to take up to three months to heal correctly. This is crucial so that no unnecessary force is put onto the implants while healing. If such force was exerted (like loading the final bridgework onto the implants too soon), there is a high probability that the implants would fail and damage would be caused to the patient’s jaw.
After the healing stage, Dr Bagasi was happy to begin taking impressions for the final bridgework. This was done by taking moulds of the mouth and having the patient’s final implant posts created and positioned by our technicians. For this, a Duralay jig is used to precisely place the posts into the dental implants.
Once the final bridgework was concluded, the patient had a combination of three individually created crowns and an implant-retained bridge for her remaining upper teeth. The next step was to have her try her new teeth on!
Step four – final fit
At the final fitting appointment, the patient was presented her brand-new smile. The transformation from her old smile was so amazing is almost brought her to tears! This goes to show just how much of a profound impact a few teeth can have. She was so pleased with the results and very excited to begin her new life with her beautiful new smile.
Unsure about your dental health? Call your nearest Synergy Dental Clinic and we’ll be happy to help.