We first saw David as a patient for an implant consult after losing the upper teeth that were part of a former dental bridge. After the bridge fractured, David had been wearing a denture to replace the upper gap, but with a strong gag reflex he often did not wear it. 

David was the ideal candidate for this procedure as he was missing multiple teeth, was in good general and oral health and was strongly opposed to wearing a removable prosthesis (denture) as a replacement option especially on the upper jaw.

The main concern for David was to have teeth that look and feel like his own again.  He was not wanting to deal with the many problems associated with long term denture use. He also was concerned about chewing ability and wanting to be able to eat solid foods (hard bread, steak etc). Dental Implants are able to preserve the bone and improve the comfort, aesthetics and function without relying on support from other teeth.

The process took approximately one year.

The ideal candidate for a dental implant procedure is anyone that is in general good health, with adequate jaw bone to support an implant.  There are no age restrictions as long as the overall health of a patient is not compromised.  Generally we want to wait till a patient has reached maturity so that the jaw bone is done developing.

We generally advise patients that home care should be no different than natural teeth.  In the first few months we would like to see patients regularly to ensure that there are no concerns regarding the strength of the bond of the implant to the bone.  Sometimes we recommend dental night guards for patients that clench or grind their teeth.

Dr Mark Bishara West Bowmanville Family Dental