Dental implants are a long-lasting, secure and natural replacement for severely damaged or missing teeth and at our Harley Street clinic they make a great alternative to traditional dental bridges or dentures. Whilst the procedures to fit dental implants are not over invasive and can usually be completed at our Harley Street clinic using topical and local anaesthesia, all patients considering dental implants as an option are invited to London for a comprehensive dental implant consultation. This consultation plays a vital part in the checks and preparation required by our Harley Street dentists before dental implant treatment can begin.
What will we discuss during my Harley Street dental implant consultation?
Everybody has different dental needs and, maybe more importantly, different expectations from their treatment. Our consultations are confidential and friendly and, as well as undertaking detailed clinical checks at our Harley Street practice, we aim to get to know you, understand your reasons for dental implant treatment and help you to make informed choices about any procedure options. During your Harley Street visit, your consultant will ask you about:
- Your medical history - this is important because there are some existing medical conditions that are not compatible with dental implant treatment. Our consultants are dental implant specialists and are fully trained to understand any medical implications that might have an impact on your treatment.
- Your dental history – many of the patients who visit our Harley Street clinic in London for a dental implant consultation have already tried other dental solutions for their problems. All previous dental treatment and issues will be taken into account when our consultant develops your treatment plan.
- Your social history – this might sound like an unusual thing to discuss during a dental implant consultation but your social history and your relationship with your teeth have an important part to play in decisions about your treatment. Please don’t worry, you won’t find any of our questions invasive and we take patient confidentiality very seriously.
Which checks will be made during my Harley Street dental implant consultation?
Because dental implants are such an effective and long-lasting solution, it is important to perform a comprehensive set of dental checks and assessments at our Harley Street clinic before embarking on treatment. The results of these checks will be carefully recorded in your notes and will form a vital part of the decision-making process for your dental implant treatment. During your dental implant consultation at our Harley Street, London clinic we will undertake the following assessments:
- A full set of intraoral x-rays (these give the high level of detail required for dental implant treatment)
- A full head, neck and mouth examination to include:
- Facial muscles including those that control the jaw joints
- TMJ checks (the temporomandibular joint connects the lower jaw to the skull)
- Lymph node checks
- Salivary gland checks
- Mouth soft tissue checks for diseases related to the mucous membrane including mouth cancers
- A full dental examination, to include:
- Healthy and damaged teeth
- Crowns
- Veneers
- Bridges
- Existing dental implants
- Gum health
- Bite (the relationship between the lower and upper teeth)
- Wear pattern (to detect where and how damage to the teeth might be occurring)
- Teeth alignment (how teeth are positioned in relation to each other)
- Gum recession
- Full mouth pocket measurements (a measure of the gap between the tooth and the gum)
Once these discussions and examinations have taken place with our Harley Street team, the results and any revealed issues are discussed with you in detail and with simple explanations. At this stage the likely results of treatment and its success rate will be explained to you along with the benefits and risks of dental implants. Your consultant will then discuss your Harley Street dental implant options and their relative cost implications and answer your questions before a comprehensive, individual Harley Street treatment plan is created. If you would like to see before and after photos of previous patients then we can show you these too. The more detailed your Harley Street dental implant consultation is, the more accurately we can achieve a result that meets your expectations. Harley Street dental implants give a very natural and comfortable end result and this is enhanced by the level of detail and care that we put into each and every one of our London dental implant consultations.