can anyone recommend a dentist for implants in the NE?

thestens

Hi, I need to see about the possibility of implants for my top front teeth, in fact maybe all my top teeth! They have been loose and wobbly for ages and now eating is becoming more difficult. I really want to avoid dentures as I have had a plate (briefly!) before and hated it.
My own dentist, who I only recently joined on moving house, has recommended someone who comes to the surgery. But how do I know if he is any good? I have looked online and there are lots of dental practices advertising implants but I'm worried about shelling out thousands of pounds on an unknown. Any advice???

brook2jack

What concerns me is you have loose and wobbly teeth which are getting progressively worse. That sounds like gum disease.

The problem is gum disease can affect implants just as easily, if not more easily , than your own teeth.

You and your dentist should be looking at controlling your gum disease and addressing the lifestyle and other factors that make it worse, before you think about implants.

Eg smoking ,diabetes etc . Many implants logistic will not place implants on someone who smokes because the failure rate is so much higher than in a non smoker.

Implants are not fit and forget, they require maintainance , bits will need replacement and your oral hygiene will need meticulous attention.

If you need many teeth removing and multiple implants to replace a lot of teeth this is a treatment that will take months or longer and many treatments.

The point of this post is to make sure you have the basics covered eg are you happy with the care you are getting from your new dentist? If you are but don't want to use their implantologist then phone a few local surgeries and ask who they refer their implants to. That will give you a good idea of who is good in your area.

Questions to ask are how many implants they have placed, what is their success rate , what system of implants do they use ( cheaper implants may be difficult to maintain as bits may be difficult to source in future years).

thestens

Hi, thanks for the reply. You are right about the gum disease - I have had that and it has been treated - now keeping on top of it, but it possibly hasn't gone away?? I'm feeling quite depressed about the whole situation, as it looks like implants may not be feasible and I can't stand the thought of dentures. I really don't know what to do. My dentist is very non commital and I have an appointment with their implant guy next week, which I fear may be a waste of £100. I'm not very confident about his capability as its a small practice and I think they buy him in,
My dentist just says to Google people!!