SMILE! Forget the dentures, now you can get a new set of teeth in one day

By Mail on Sunday Reporter
Updated: 17:01 EDT, 9 July 2011

Having dental implants – titanium rods placed in the jawbone to hold false teeth in place – usually means up to three separate surgical procedures, taking as long as a year, writes Annie Boyde.

But British dentists now offer a new technique that allows a full set of implants to be fitted – in a day.

Last year nearly two million teeth were removed from British patients because of natural ageing, trauma, decay or gum disease.

Missing teeth often lead to a restricted diet, causing malnutrition, but the psychological impact of having an unsightly mouth can cause problems too.

Boost: Jill Jacobs says her implants have been life-changing

Dentures, either single, multiple or an entire set of removable false teeth, are an option. However, many patients have problems with irritation to the gums and keeping the teeth in place (a glue-like substance is used, but this can be dislodged while chewing).

Dental implants have long been recognised as the most effective option when replacing teeth, but the lengthy and sometimes painful process puts

many off the procedure.

Bone grafts to replace rotten bone from chronic inflammation and gum disease are usually necessary, with dentures worn for a few months while the jaw settles down.

Then the implants needed to be treated with special care to ensure they fused with the new bone, which could take several more months.

The new procedure is much simpler. A three-dimensional computer scan is taken of the patient’s head. This allows the dentist to place the titanium rods with an exceptional degree of accuracy.

Childhood photographs are also requested to help make the replacement teeth look as natural as possible.

Then, under sedation instead of general anaesthetic, the rotten teeth are removed and any infection is thoroughly stripped away using a combination of suction and scraping.

One of the main causes of implant rejection is infection, so this part of the procedure may take three hours.

Deep holes – up to half-an-inch – are drilled into the jawbone at an angle, eliminating the need for bone grafts with patients with gum disease that has eaten away part of the jaw bone.

A custom-made plastic mould is then fixed over the gums. The titanium rods are fed into the bone through holes in the mould, which holds them firmly.

Fewer rods are used – about four instead of the usual eight, with each rod supporting up to three teeth.

Finally, an acrylic bar resembling a natural gum with a set of acrylic teeth is fixed on to it.

After a few weeks, the patient returns for a check-up and to have a set of titanium reinforced teeth fitted, which will last indefinitely.

‘Sometimes people want minor adjustments so we advise them to live with their new teeth for a while before we permanently fix them in place,’ says dentist Dr Anthony Zybutz of the TDC Implant Centre, one of the specialists offering the treatment in Britain.

Jill Jacobs, 73, a retired administrator from Stanmore, North-West London, suffered for years with dental problems. A year ago she was a virtual recluse, existing on a diet of porridge and soft fruit.

‘I had gum disease and tooth decay and, although I’d had crowns, then dentures, these often chipped and fell out.’

A friend recommended the TDC Implant Centre and she booked in. Although she was nervous before the procedure, she says the results have been life-changing.

‘My teeth now look amazing and I must admit I put on weight in the following few weeks because I could finally enjoy my food again.’

* tdcdentalimplants.co.uk, from £13,950