my Dental Implants

Over the course of about 8 years from the age of around 14, I got dental implants on the NHS in the UK.

I thought it might be good to share my experience with others who are considering getting the procedure done.

Initial consultations

Although my experience of orthodontics took some time, from a very early stage the consultations were aimed at the final result - getting dental implants. All of the other work I had done was essentially preparatory to that final goal.

Preparatory work

To begin with, I had several other orthodontic procedures done both in the Highlands of Scotland at Dingwall and Inverness, and at Aberdeen where (seemingly) the country's only maxillofacial unit is situated.

I had retainer appliances for about a year from the age of 11, which were designed to begin the process of rotating my teeth and move them into better positions.

Once they had done their (limited) job, I was moved onto 'train-tracks' (fixed braces) for a further 2 years. I remember at the time thinking this was an awfully long time to have metal braces in my mouth, looking awful - at that age, I was extremely conscious of that kind of thing.

In the end though, the time went by extremely quickly, and aside from having to thoroughly clean the fixed braces, and choose a new rubber-band colour every fortnight or so, the experience wasn't as unpleasant as I had feared.

One note about fixed braces though is when they are tightened, which in my case happened every fortnight or so, I would sometimes experience headaches from the pulling effect on all my teeth simultaneously. This would go away after a day or so though, once my teeth became accustomed to the new pressure.

Deciduous (Milk) teeth

In between all of this, I had some deciduous (milk) teeth on the bottom row which had no secondary (adult) teeth below them. Because of this, they were never pushed out and therefore had to be removed by my orthodontist.

This left quite large spaces - the two front teeth on the bottom row and one other one further into the left side of my mouth.

Because of these spaces, in the time between the adjustment of my teeth with braces and the commencement of the dental implant procedures, there was a possibility that my teeth would move into the gaps left by the removal of the milk teeth.

Another retainer

To prevent this from happening, I was fitted with another retainer which had false teeth on it, which filled the gaps preventing my natural teeth from moving into the gaps.

For dental implants, it is imperative that the specialists performing the work know the geography of your mouth - therefore nothing as fundamental as the position of your natural teeth can change.

Casts were taken of my teeth, and the retainer was fitted to preserve the locations of all my teeth.

The dental implant surgery

Just before I was 19, the dental implant procedure began.

I travelled up to Aberdeen (the cost of travel was mercifully met by the NHS, otherwise I would have spent hundreds of pounds on train fares. This only happened because even though I was over 18, the procedure had started when I was still eligible for the cosmetic dental procedure for free, and therefore the cost subsidy continued).

The scalpel

The anaesthetist numbed up my mouth with 5 or 6 injections, which nip and aren't very pleasant. With so much anaesthetic in my gums, the whole of my mouth went numb, which is a pretty horrible sensation!

After testing that I had no feeling in my gums by poking me with a dental scraper(!), the maxillofacial surgeon cut into my gums on either side of the gaps. Those cuts were very deep - down to the bone - and although I couldn't feel the cutting, the feeling of pressure on my gums and the knowledge that it was a razor-sharp scalpel being pressed very hard into my mouth was very unpleasant.

The drill

The surgeon then drilled into my jawbone, creating a canal for the titanium post to be screwed into. The drilling was horrible. I could feel every vibration as the machine bored into my skull. Not pleasant at all, and I had it done three times - about 15 minutes' drilling in all.

Titanium posts

The titanium posts were then screwed in, with small caps on top. My gums were then foled back over the bone and the posts, where they were stitched (sutured) in place leaving the top of the tatanium post exposed through the flesh (otherwise the flesh would grow over the post and require re-cutting).

Some of the stitching involved parts of my mouth which weren't totally numb, and although the suture needle was extremely small and precise, it was nonetheless very painful being put through the very thin flesh in my mouth.

Healing and fitting

After 6 weeks of healing, to allow my gums to heal and my jawbone to fuse with the titanium implants, I returned to the ARI to complete the process. After having a tone chosed for the porcelain to match my natural teeth, the crowns were completed.

A few weeks later I returned to the hospital to have the crowns fitted. Once the crowns are on, the specialist mixed a compound and filled the top of the crown above the titanium post, which was then set.

And that was me! It was a very long process but absolutely worth it - I don't ever really think about my implants now (a good thing), but sometimes I remember the long process it took to get them, and I'm amazed at just how good they are and how amazingly the technology works.