The Patient Journey

Your clinical assessment involves obtaining as much information as possible to create an accurate clinical picture of your oral and jaw health.

X-rays, digital intra-oral scans and a CBCT scan are taken, from which we can gauge if you are a good candidate for treatment. The CBCT scan provides a 3D, detailed insight into your jawbone health, giving your dentist a clear understanding of where to place the implants for the most sustainable results.

A fully costed treatment plan outlining what to expect from implant surgery is created. Once you have approved the treatment plan and understood what is involved, we will proceed to the next stage.

We carry out the complete arch implant surgery fully guided to ensure high-level accuracy, and that implants are placed where there is adequate bone. This level of precision results in long-lasting results. We use the accuracy of digital dentistry to provide a high level of care and predictable outcomes, so that our patients can feel confident in the result from the very start of treatment.

We will take a digital scan of your teeth, which produces a 3D image of your teeth. We then carry out digital smile design of your new teeth, and your new smile will be shown to you.

Prior to the design stage, we will discuss shade and colour of your teeth with you, so we can make sure you are happy with the proposed smile design – this stage is very much a collaborative stage, where we like to really involve you in how your smile will look.

Once approved, this will be made in a high-quality, durable material, often in PMMA or acrylic material, which will be fitted on the day of the surgery (this will be ready-made before your surgery). We also use a guide for the correct insertion of the implant.

In the case of single implants, these are placed freehand. We will place a temporary tooth if the gap is located at the front of the mouth. For gaps at the back of your mouth, we do not place a temporary tooth during the healing time.

Your dentist will book you for implant surgery and reiterate what to expect. We will do everything possible to ensure your comfort and well-being. The surgical method will differ slightly depending on the number of implants you are receiving. Single implants are placed freehand, though some are occasionally guided.

While the surgery itself takes only 15 minutes (for single implants, which are placed freehand), we will book you in for a longer appointment to make sure you are comfortable. (We never like to rush our patients.)

If you have a removable suture, this will be removed after 2 weeks (though most sutures are resorbable and broken down by the body).

A custom-made crown is created, providing the tooth-like part of the restoration that will sit above the gum line and at the jaw level in your mouth. This new crown is made in the image of your smile by an on-site dental technician, who follows precise design instructions provided by your dentist. Your crown is made of premium materials, such as ceramic or porcelain, which closely mimic the properties of real tooth enamel.

At Moltons Dental, we use custom-made abutments, which connect the implant to the crown. Using custom abutments reduces the risk of implant failure and has been clinically proven to increase the longevity of the implant.

We will never compromise by using cheaper materials for our abutments; we create our abutments according to the high standards set by the manufacturers we partner with, who share in this philosophy.

The process is the same if you are having multiple teeth replaced with a restoration such as an implant bridge or implant dentures.

At Moltons Dental, we emphasise follow-up care. We want to help you maintain good implant care and encourage you to schedule routine dental and hygienist check-ups.

Implants fail mainly due to a condition known as peri-implantitis (gum disease for implants), so follow-up care is essential to ensure your implant serves you well every day.