Firstly you would meet with Mr Mallorie for a full assessment of your mouth and the site where the tooth is fractured/loose. The criteria for a site to be suitable for an "immediate" implant placement is very specific. Some of those criteria include there being no active infection present and no significant bone loss around the existing tooth/root. We would also have to take a 3D X-ray of the site to check there is sufficient bone in the region to facilitate the immediate placement of an implant.

This would be done as part of the initial screening process to assess suitability of a site for immediate implant placement. We would perform the 3D X-ray using our state-of-the-art cone beam CT scanner. This allows us to assess the volume of bone present for implant placement. If there is a good volume of bone present around the existing root/tooth then we would progress to implant surgery. But if there was not enough bone volume present then we would discuss removal of the tooth first and then re-assessment following a three to four month healing period.

We would then perform the surgery in one of  our comfortable treatment suites to extract the failed tooth and place a dental implant in to the site. This is usually performed with local anaesthetic only, but we also offer sedation if you wish to consider this to chemically relax you during the surgery. The surgery is usually performed "flapless" which means we make no cuts in the gum to place the implant as we work via the extraction socket. This helps to keep swelling/pain levels after surgery to an absolute minimum. Following placement of the implant we would then fabricate a temporary acrylic crown that screws in to the implant to fill the gap. So you would leave the surgery with a temporary crown in situ attached to the newly placed implant. It is important that you think of the temporary crown as just for smiling with. No pressure/chewing forces must be applied to it whilst your bone is trying to fuse on to the implant surface. It normally takes 5-7 days to recover from the procedure.

We usually then wait four months for the site to heal fully and for your bone to fuse on to the implant surface via a process called "osseointegration". After that is completed we then take impressions of the implant position to allow for the crown to be made. We work with a dental laboratory in South Wales to deliver the highest quality result for you from their award-winning dental technicians. Once fabricated the crown is attached to the implant and the restoration of the tooth is complete and you can return to full function.

We then usually review the completed restoration six months after the inital fit to check all is stable and that your cleaning routine is appropriate for the site. It is very important to look after your dental implants the same as you would your natural teeth and regular follow-ups of the site would be planned in order to try and help ensure it has a long lifespan in your mouth.