This case involved a middle aged gentleman from here in the West End of Glasgow, who had lost his teeth many years ago. Having worn several partial dentures unsuccessfully since his front teeth were extracted, he had never adjusted to having removable plastic on his palate.
The effect of wear and pressure on gums from chewing against plastic causes excessive shrinkage, thereby reducing available bone.
This photograph demonstrates the severity of bone degeneration and the loss of arch form/supporting anatomy.
The options in such cases are extensive bone grafting from other areas of the mouth such as the back of the lower jaw, alternative block grafts from the hip or less traumatic but more refined restorative techniques.
Placing the Dental Implants
Two narrow diameter titanium Biohorizons implants were placed in the position of the lateral incisors. These were the only positions which had sufficient bone ridge width.
After ten weeks of healing and integration two gold abutments were hand crafted and screwed into the implants.
The patient met with the ceramist at the laboratory, also in Glasgow’s West End, who selected shades, opacity, translucency, size and shapes of both teeth and gums. Similarly, the porcelain was handmade using the photos, images and drawings of shade maps at the laboratory.
Result of Dental Implants
This photograph demonstrates the restoration of normal anatomy and facial profile. The most attentive reader will also spot the elimination of the dark black filling and replacement with a porcelain crown during treatment.
Dental Implant Cost
The patient paid £2000 (2 x £1000) for two dental implants. He subsequently paid £3200 for four teeth on a porcelain bonded to gold bridge. Total implant outlays were £5200 in this case, including laboratory visits.
The patient feedback in this case was extremely positive:
Having the ability to bite into apples, chew meat and other more testing foods- you can forget how natural it once felt. Not any more! I would totally recommend Crystal Dental Care for anyone considering tooth implants. It’s great to be free of plastic dentures for ever and I couldn’t go back to that now.
Check out our Cosmetic Dentistry Portfolio for more information on Dental Implants in our Glasgow practice.
Dr Brendan Murphy (BDS Glasgow) 1992 GDC 67679 is clinical director at Crystal Dental Glasgow. He has been a dentist in Glasgow for more than 20 years. He is passionate about patient care and highly experienced in cosmetic dentistry. He shares the case studies on this website as examples of what is possible when faced with often tricky dental issues. It is never too late to seek help even for long term dental problems.