Dental Health Imaging, Jobs, Education & Resources

The 'Implantium network', a dentist participatory referral organization, has recently been introduced to the UK.  Involved dentists provide dental implants at a set fee of £1350 plus £100 for the consultation.  This fee is about 37% lower than the average industry price. The use of dental implants in the UK has increased over the previous 2 years as patients are trying to save money and cut the costs of continued corrective dental procedures. Recession-hit British citizens appear to be seeking a permanent solution to their dental tooth problems through the placement of dental implants.

Despite the effects of the current recession, the number of individuals looking for dental implants in the UK has tripled in the previous 2 years. Patients who were excluded as candidates for dental implants because of the lack of bone density are now able to recieve  implants because of new bone augmentation techniques.

Implant placement can be considered an option to replace a single tooth or several teeth; but it can also be used to replace multiple teeth with an 'implant bridge'.  The technique allows for a patient to have “same day teeth” or “teeth in a day”.

Implants are not only for older individuals who have lost teeth due to poor oral hygiene or disease; dental implants are also useful for younger individuals who have lost their teeth for varying reasons including accidents. Dental implants provide a useful option over dentures or crown work.

Most patients can have dental implants; but studies show that patients who smoke have a greater failure rate than those who do not.  This may result from decreased blood flow in the maxillary or mandibular bone,  which can effect bone augmentation and healing.  The potential for implant failure is also increased by other factors as well and these facts are all pointed out and explained to patients at consultation. The web site for this organization points out that UK clinics are witnessing more individuals booking their operations after a few months or more while they stop smoking. Iin the long term; this suggests that they may be making New Lifestyle choices as a result of their decision to acquire implants.

Editor's note:  The success rate for dental implants does not seem to depend on implant brand (Moeintaghavi A, et al, Evaluation of 3-8 year treatment outcomes and success rates with six implant brands in partially edentulous patients; J Oral Implantol, Dec. 2010).