Gwasanaeth ~ Ansawdd ~ Gonestrwydd
Quality ~ Honesty ~ Service
DR CRAIG MALLORIE
Multi-Award Winning Dental Surgeon with Practice Limited to Implants, Oral Surgery and Sedation
Call 03300 945 878
Here are the answers to some common questions patients ask Dr Mallorie...
What is a dental implant?
A dental implant consists of a root portion which is much like a very hi-tech raw plug made of medical-grade titanium which is inserted into the bone where the tooth root used to be. The crown portion of a dental implant is attached to the root portion via a titanium screw once your bone has healed onto the implant root's surface. To see a simple case study of a single implant performed by Dr Mallorie click here
Does implant surgery hurt?
The surgery is performed painlessly under profound local anaesthetic. After surgery is complete you would be advised to take some regular painkillers such as paracetamol and/or ibuprofen (providing you are not allergic) which then are taking affect as the local anaesthetic wears off. Once the local anaesthetic has worn off and you have taken appropriate painkillers the majority of patients report feeling very comfortable. A large proportion of patients report not having to take any pain medications the day after surgery. Recovery is often quicker and more comfortable than after the original tooth extraction.
What if I still feel nervous about having surgery?
Dr Mallorie is well versed at dealing with nervous patients and always uses topical anaesthetic cream to numb the gum before administering the local anaesthetic. However, if you are particularly nervous Dr Mallorie can provide the treatment with the addition of intravenous sedation which allows you to feel very relaxed during treatment with most patients experiencing amnesia of the procedure performed the next day. For more information please read our information section on sedation by clicking here
How long does it take to finish treatment?
Obviously the answer to this is that it depends on the complexity of the treatment required e.g. how many implants are needed, whether or not grafting is required at the sites, etc. But a ball park timescale for a healed site where you are missing a single tooth is 14 weeks from implant root placement to restoration with the implant crown. If a tooth is needed to be extracted from the site first then this will add 12 weeks to the treatment time as the socket must be left to heal before assessing the site for a dental implant. If bone grafting is required, depending on how extensive the size of the graft is, this may add 9 months to the treatment time to facilitate new bone to be predictably regenerated.
I've seen an implant clinic overseas who say they can do it much cheaper, should I go there instead?
No, no, no and no again! Over the years Dr Mallorie has had to deal with countless botched overseas implant cases where he has had to remove the failed cheap implants as they have been placed poorly into the bone with no thought or skill. The crown and bridgework is generally inferior or has been placed in a rushed manner with no care and due diligence resulting in work that is doomed to fail. The type of implants placed into the bone are from cheap companies that have little to no long-term research and development behind them. These cases then end up costing more to fix than had they been done properly in the first place. Having dental implants is an investment in your quality of life and they should be for the long-term. So if you can not currently afford treatment then consider a financing scheme or just waiting until you have saved the necessary finances to have things done correctly using high quality components and by a highly skilled implant surgeon. Some cases of failed implants and implant bridgework can be seen here, all of which were placed overseas in patients seeking a cheaper option. Pay cheap, pay twice.
I've had a cheaper quote for treatment locally, why shouldn't I go there instead?
You may well not be comparing apples with apples. There are many different types of implants, and there are many different types of clinicians placing dental implants. You must choose carefully when planning your investment in dental implants for your mouth. You must be asking about the quality of the materials being used in your mouth. Is the clinician using a cheap dental implant system that has little to no long-term research? Are they using cheap dental laboratories who ship work overseas to be completed? What level of training has your surgeon completed to qualify them to place your dental implants? How many years have they been performing the surgery? What are their success rates? How many do they place per month? These are all questions you should be asking before you decide where and with whom to have your implant surgery. Dr Mallorie performs oral surgery and implant related treatments on patients from 9am Monday to 5pm Friday week in week out and as a result has accumulated 1000's of hours of surgical experience alongside many years of training in centres of excellence around the World. He is considered an authority on the subject of dental implants internationally and has now been placing implants for over 12 years. To read more about his career pathway and experience please click here
I'm missing multiple teeth, how many implants would I need to have?
It is not always necessary to place a dental implant "root" for every missing tooth. It can be possible in certain clinical situations to attach two teeth to one single dental implant "root". If three teeth are missing then usually two implants is enough. Whole sets of 12 teeth can be placed with the use of just 4 to 6 dental implants usually with very high success rates but in a more cost effective manner than placing 12 implants to replace 12 teeth! To see a case of a dental implant bridge placed by Dr Mallorie click here. To see an example of a full set of 12 implants placed onto 4 implants performed by Dr Mallorie click here
I'm tired of having loose dentures, I can't eat the foods I love and I feel nervous in social situations that they might fall out when I talk/eat, do I have to just accept this for the rest of my life?
Absolutely not. Throw the denture adhesive away! Lower dentures are the ones that most commonly cause issue for patients due to their lack of retention. The placement of two dental implants into your lower jaw is all it takes to then give something onto which a lower denture can clip onto to allow you to bite apples and regain your social confidence knowing they won't fall out. This costs from £3,500 to £4,800 depending on whether or not your existing denture can be retro-fitted to the implants or if a new one has to be made. Upper dentures can also be clipped on to implants but in the upper jaw 4 implants are required and they are attached via a custom titanium bar onto which the denture clips on to. This cost £9,800 for 4 implants, a CAD-CAM titanium bar and a new denture that clips onto the bar for retention (the denture has the palate cut away to improve the enjoyment of food). To read more about implant-retained dentures please click here
Am I too old to have dental implants?
Age is not a limiting factor to have dental implants. The oldest patient Dr Mallorie has treated with dental implants was 92 years old at the time. So long as you are in stable health then you may well be a good candidate for dental implants. The biggest risk factors against having dental implants are patients with poorly controlled gum disease, diabetes or patients who are heavy smokers. All of these factors decrease the success rate of dental implant treatment as they impact on the bodies ability to heal. Gum disease and diabetes glycaemic control must be stabilised before reassessing your eligibility for implant treatment and smoking habits reduced significantly (ideally stopped all together) prior to surgery.