As Wimpole Street Dental Clinic is a centre of excellence for dental implantology, we offer our patients a range of dental implant options for them to consider. The placement of dental implants needs to be very precise to achieve both optimum clinical and esthetical success for the patient. High levels of concentration, planning and practice are needed to master the process. We use standard operating procedures based on years of research and the current scientific literature and 20 years of experience in the field. This ensures a very high success rate. In our initial consultation we will discuss the individual solution for your problems and always show you alternative treatment options and their long-term success rates.
Irrespective of the dental implants you choose, in the years to come, we invite you to return to clinic for routine professional teeth cleanings with a dental hygienist and dental check-ups with your dentist.
Below is some information for the specific dental implant treatments we offer:
All-on-4™ dental implants
- Initial consultation – one appointment to discuss the procedure in detail, advice on how to prepare for surgery, guidance on how to care for yourself post-surgery and an outline of the follow-up schedule, all alternative treatments are discussed.
- Preparation – we prepare your new teeth based on your 3D X-rays, digital models and photographs of your face and upper and lower jaws.
- Clinic visits – overall six appointments are necessary to attend: Initial consultation, Diagnostic records, Operation and placing the temporary restoration, Removal of sutures, retaking of the bite and maybe esthetical corrections, Placing the final restoration, Review appointment
- Surgery day – one appointment – so please expect to be in clinic from 8am-5pm. The timing to complete it varies from patient to patient but be advised the surgery part takes about 2-4 hours.
- Post-Surgery – you enter the recovery room here in clinic until the sedation wears off – this could take a few hours. You are cleared to leave with a family member or friend after a quick check by our dentist.
- Recovery – two to three weeks.
- Follow Up – after the procedure we schedule two follow-up visits to clinic. We check the healing process is going well now that your smile has been restored.
- Return for customised crowns – the second follow-up appointment is when we place your customised crowns for you.
Navigated implants
- Consultation – one appointment to discuss the procedure in detail, advice on how to prepare for surgery, guidance on how to care for yourself post-surgery and an outline of the follow-up schedule.
- Preparation – a 3D cone beam computer tomography (CBCT) X-ray plus digital impressions and digital photographs of your mouth and teeth are taken. Using our innovative digital dentistry technology and techniques, we can then merge the CBCT, the digital photographs and impressions in a software program. We virtually place the implant in the proper position to obtain the correct measurements, angle and depth required ahead of your surgery. A computer-assisted implant guide is printed.
- Clinic visits – two appointments are necessary to attend.
- Surgery day – re-cap of the surgical procedure, and what to expect immediately after surgery. If you are happy to proceed, the implant guide is used to precisely insert the implant in the pre-planned position. We use digital image guidance for the most accurate placement which means we can even have temporary teeth prepared in advance and placed immediately after the implant placement.
- Post-Surgery – if you have chosen sedation you enter the recovery room here in the clinic until the sedation wears off – this could take a few hours. You are cleared to leave with a family member or friend after a quick check by our dentist. If you have not chosen sedation you can go home straight away.
- Recovery – depending on the situation, no recovery is like to be needed up to two weeks. The basic rule is the less invasive the surgery, the less recovery time you need.
- Follow Up –after one to two weeks from surgery, the sutures are removed at a follow-up appointment.
- Return – sometimes we can take the impression for the final work immediately in the implant surgery session. In case the surgery was more extensive, we need to wait 2-3 months before we can take the impression for the final restoration. The final restoration will be placed two weeks after the impression to give the dental laboratory time to produce outstanding work.
Immediate implants (‘Same-day implants’)
- Consultation – one appointment to discuss the procedure in detail, advice on how to prepare for surgery, guidance on how to care for yourself post-surgery and an outline of the follow-up schedule. We also check for any potential issues which could restrict your eligibility for immediate implant surgery. We outline the advantages and disadvantages of the treatment and what you can expect to happen.
- Preparation – one appointment to complete the diagnostic records (3D X-ray, digital photographs and impressions, taking of the colour of your teeth)
- Clinic visits – six appointments are necessary to attend:
- Initial consultation – Diagnostic records (3D X-ray, digital photographs, digital scan), If needed extraction and immediate implant placement (Operation), if possible re-scan of the implant position for the final restoration, Removal of sutures, Placing the final restoration, Review appointment.
- Day of the surgery – you can opt to receive sedation. Before the dental implant is fitted, you might require tooth extraction to remove any dead or partial tooth material still in place. The socket is cleaned and drilled to prepare for the installation of the dental implant the very same day. The dental implant is placed carefully and computer guided for the best results. The temporary restorative teeth are screwed in place, the same day.
- Post-Surgery – once surgery is complete and the implants are in place, your dentist will outline your post-surgery aftercare guidance and advice.
- Recovery – a little discomfort and swelling in the first few days, but this should subside fairly quickly depending on the extent of the surgery.
- Follow Up – we usually require a follow-up appointment around one week to two weeks later.
- Return – to place the final restoration or to begin the restorative process if the impression for the final restoration could not be taken in the operation session.
Zygomatic implants
- Consultation – one appointment to discuss the procedure in detail, advice on how to prepare for surgery, guidance on how to care for yourself post-surgery and an outline of the follow-up schedule. Zygomatic implants are very long implants embedded in the cheekbone (or zygomatic bone) when there is insufficient bone tissue in the upper jaw for standard implants. It is just a different anchor point. Your dentist will look to see if there is enough bone mass for the implants to fuse with. If there is, they can be confident that over time, the dental implants once placed with be structurally sound and fix to the jaw.
- Preparation – we take digital photographs, stone plaster models of your teeth and a 3D X-ray (CBCT). We can now accurately determine an implant placement and length. The implants position is planned virtually on the computer. The position of the newly designed teeth which are visible in the 3D -image, serves as an orientation aid. This precise positioning is transferred into a drilling template.
- Clinic visits – overall six appointments are necessary to attend: Initial consultation, Diagnostic records, Operation and placing the temporary restoration, Removal of sutures, retaking of the bite and maybe esthetical corrections, Placing the final restoration, Review appointment.
- Day of the surgery – you will likely receive some sedation and then surgery begins. The entire procedure can take up to 7 hours which breaks down into 4 hours of treatment, 2 hours in observed recovery and then 1 hour placing the temporary denture on the same day.
- Post-Surgery– 2 hours in observed recovery
- Recovery – most patients require up to two-three weeks following surgery to properly recover. Your dentist will provide detailed guidance on what to do (and not to do) to better aid your recovery.
- Follow Up – with your dentist is usually required 2 weeks after surgery.
- Return – after two months for placing the final restoration
Please note that due to recent research we are preferring oral implants to zygomatic implants as zygomatic implants can lead to chronic sinus infections if the anatomy is not observed.
Implant-Supported Restorations
- Consultation – one appointment to discuss the procedure in detail, advice on how to prepare for surgery, guidance on how to care for yourself post-surgery and an outline of the follow-up schedule. Implant-supported restorations are where your chosen prosthetic (crowns, bridges or dentures), rests on your implants and not on your teeth. We can perfectly resolve all sizes of tooth gaps without the need to damage neighbouring, health and otherwise unaffected natural teeth.
- Preparation – after consultation and if recommended by your dentist and with your consent to proceed, we can perform a modern implant-supported restoration for you at appointment. The initial procedure is just the same as it would be if you were to receive dental implants.
- Clinic visits – for an implant-supported restoration you will need two sessions. The impression session and the placement session. A precondition to placing an implant-based restoration is a stable implant (the artificial titanium root) and an inflammation-free and aesthetically pleasing soft tissue.
- Day of the surgery – once the implant body is securely anchored into the jawbone and the connecting component attached, your chosen dental prosthetic (crown, bridge or denture) can be safely attached.
- Follow Up – implant-based restorations have to be taken care of, similar to teeth. Regular dental hygiene visits and dental check-ups are needed to make sure the implant restoration is a long-term success.
