Before                                        During                                After

February 2011 I tripped over a dog while running and broke 3 of my front teeth off at gum level.  I immediately contacted Westlands Dental Studio as this was the first place I thought to go for help.  The receptionist was caring and supportive, I took time to calm down from the shock and then Mr Ghai  saw me.  Mr Ghai was unable to do anything at that point but arranged for me to see his colleague Mr Somal at the Village Dental Practice in Whickham the following day to have the teeth temporary restored.  I was aware at that point the fractured teeth needed to be extracted in the future.

Mr Ghai had said how fortunate I was to have a Dental Plan as this had insurance for trauma.  This meant I was able to afford implants.  Without the insurance I would have had to wear a denture for the rest of my life which I did not want to do.

Mr Ghai saw me for the rest of the treatment as I was having implants.  I was worried about the treatment especially the extractions but I need not have been.  The procedure went smoothly and was pain free .  The treatment was also done with great care.  The work that followed was equally straight forward, I was put at ease through every stage by Mr Ghai and the dental team.  They explained what was the next stage and very accommodating with appointments when I needed it.

The whole process took seven months as each stage needed time to heal properly before the next could begin.  The implants are comfortable and strong, easy to keep clean.  I am over the moon with the implants and think they look better than my original teeth.  I expect them to last for many years to come.

I was having problems with one of my lower left molar teeth, the tooth was broken and it was slightly loose.  Mr Ghai went through the various options with me.  I decided to go ahead with an implant as I did not want a bridge or denture.  Mr Ghai and other staff at the practice was very informative about the procedure as to what would happen and when.  I was reassured at each stage and found the whole process quite smooth.

During the treatment there was some discomfort after the tooth was extracted and when the implant was first placed.  However this was minimal and soon settled down.

Appointments were made to suit me around work and did’nt need to take time off after treatment. 

The whole process took around 12 months.  I am so pleased I made the decision to have an implant as I am really happy with the result.

How techniques are evolving

 Up until 15 yrs ago dental implants were available but not a routine treatment option. Over the recent years however they are becoming a more popular option for replacing missing teeth.

Last week I placed an immediate implant to replace an upper central incisor (Front tooth). The tooth needed extracting as a result of failing root canal treatment.  After careful planning our decision was to carefully extract the tooth and place the implant on the same day. By doing this we hope to maintain the gum levels as they are to provide us with a natural aesthetic final result.

Careful extraction of the tooth using an atraumatic technique allows for bone preservation, allowing an implant to be fixed directly into the extraction site. If we waited for bone healing (6-8 weeks) in this case, the risk would have been shrinkage of the gum resulting in a considerably longer implant tooth compared to the neighbouring natural tooth. By using this relatively new and advanced technique the gum shrinkage can be kept to a minimum’