Willow Dental Care

A Great Dentist

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(02) 8610 6697

General and Aesthetic Dentistry

B4/12-14 Solent Circuit, Norwest, NSW 2153

Willow Dental Care > Our Services > Dental Implants and Bridges

With bridges and dental implants, we can replace missing teeth to create a complete, functional smile for many patients.

Dental Implants and Bridges

Like you, our team is concerned about missing teeth, especially when that lost tooth is recent. The recent loss of a tooth can affect your everyday life and your confidence. Sometimes, a lost tooth affects speech, with air escaping through the gap, creating a lisp. Another common complaint about a lost tooth is the loss of chewing power.

As dentists in Norwest, we are also concerned about how your teeth might move after losing a tooth. For example, one missing tooth can lead to the tipping and movement of other teeth. In certain cases, these teeth may become more prone to decay or fracture. In addition, the ongoing loss of teeth and collapse of your bite can contribute to changes in your facial appearance.

What Should I Do If I Have a Missing Tooth?

Making an early decision about fixing this gap for just one missing tooth can help prevent the neighbouring and opposing teeth from moving and creating other gaps, helping give you back the feeling and strength of your original bite. For our Hills District patients with a missing tooth, we have options of dental implants or bridges to solve your problem.

Benefits of Dental Implants and Bridges

Missing teeth can impact your appearance, as well as how you eat, speak and feel about your appearance. Dental implants and bridges are two reliable, long-lasting options that can help you regain a full, healthy smile. These restorative solutions offer both functional and aesthetic benefits.

May Improve Chewing and Speech

Both implants and bridges restore the ability to chew properly and speak clearly for many patients. Gaps in your smile can make it difficult to enjoy certain foods or pronounce words, but these restorations make it possible to speak and chew clearly again.

Natural Look and Long-Lasting

Dental implants in Norwest, NSW, mimic the look and feel of natural teeth, while dental bridges are carefully crafted to match your smile. In most cases, these options offer strong, long-term results that complement one's smile.

Supports Jaw and Prevents Shifting

Dental implants stimulate the jawbone, which helps prevent bone loss over time. Dental bridges help keep neighbouring teeth from shifting into empty spaces, which helps maintain one's bite alignment and fills out facial features.

Frequently Asked Questions

Am I a good candidate for dental implants?

Dental implants in Norwest, NSW, are an excellent option for replacing missing teeth, but not everyone is a candidate right away. To be eligible, you’ll need healthy gums and enough jawbone density to support the implant post. If you’ve experienced bone loss, procedures like bone grafting may be recommended to help prepare the area for implant placement.

Who Is a Candidate?

Dental implants are ideal for patients looking for a natural-looking, longer-term solution. Unlike removable dentures, dental implants are fixed in place and mimic the feel of real teeth. They restore full function for chewing and speaking, help prevent jawbone shrinkage and preserve the alignment of surrounding teeth.

After surgical placement by a specialist, the dental implant will need time to heal and integrate with your bone, usually over a few months. Once healed, we place a custom-made crown or bridge to complete your new tooth.

Caring for Your Smile

Caring for your dental implant is much like caring for a natural tooth: daily brushing, flossing and regular dental check-ups will keep it healthy and long-lasting.

We Welcome Your Call

If you’re missing a tooth and want a stable, long-term solution, dental implants may be the perfect fit. We invite you to book a consultation to find out if you’re a good candidate.

Dental Implants: Permanently Replace Missing Teeth

A dental implant is a tiny titanium rod that replicates the root of a tooth. We place the implant in the bone to act as an anchor or post for the artificial tooth that will replace your missing tooth.

With a 95% success rate in many cases, implants are an exceptional choice for longevity, typically outlasting many other restorative options. Hence, the reason we say it will be a higher initial outlay but a better option over your lifetime. Also, the neighbouring teeth are not cut back like they are for a bridge. Of course, any restored tooth will need maintenance or replacement eventually. A bridge is unlikely to last like an implant.

We consider our dental implant surgeons part of our treatment team, although they are not onsite, but local experts in their field and experienced dentists. They are the people we have trusted with our family members and friends. We would not recommend anything less for you.

What to Expect: Dental Implant Surgery and Placement

When you have your dental implant surgery, you are numb and comfortable, and sedation can be arranged if you are anxious. You can rest assured that the implant surgery is quite painless, and most of our patients are surprised by the simplicity of the process.

First, we uncover the bone to place the implant in the correct location. The implant then needs time to heal and integrate with the bone before we complete the process, so it can function as a normal tooth. Healing time varies by individual, but the average at our clinic is 3–6 months for the bone to knit with the titanium implant.

At this point, you will return to Willow Dental Care for an impression or mould of your mouth so a colour-matched, quality implant crown can be made to fit your implant abutment. The new crown should create a beautiful, natural smile and a strong sense of restored function and chewing. Our favourite thing to hear from our dental implant patients is how they forget they even have an implant and that an implant feels exactly like their own tooth.

OUR TEAM

Dental Bridges: Bridge the Gap in Your Smile

For our Hills District patients with a gap in their smile, a bridge is one solution for a missing tooth. It is true that at Willow Dental Care in Baulkham Hills, we often suggest an implant to replace a missing tooth. But in some instances, this may not be appropriate.

If there is insufficient bone to support an implant or a medical condition that makes an implant inadvisable, a bridge can be an effective way to regain chewing function and close an unsightly gap.

A dental bridge replaces the missing tooth by having a prosthetic or false tooth (pontic) splinted and supported by crowns on the teeth adjacent to the gap. The crowns and middle tooth are usually made of tooth coloured and strong zirconia, carefully matched to your other teeth.

As described above, the bridge requires an appointment to shape the teeth for crowns and a scan or impression sent to our Australian dental lab of choice. A temporary bridge is worn until the next appointment, when we will check the fit and colour of the new bridge. We will ensure that you are happy with the result, and if so, the bridge is permanently bonded in.

How to Care for Your Dental Implant or Bridge

Like crowns and onlays, maintaining a bridge requires good brushing and flossing and diet. The challenge for some people is cleaning underneath the bridge, so your Willow Dental Care dentists in Norwest will take the time to show you how to care for your bridge. This is also true for people who come to us with bridges that they’ve had for years. Regular check-ups can help maintain the bridge, as when looked after by yourself and your dentist, it can give years of service.

Need Dental Implants or Bridges in Norwest, NSW?

We invite you to call us on 02 8610 6697 to book an appointment to find out your best option.

Dental Implants and Bridges Technology

Dentist Treatments for anxious or nervous patients

Sedation in Baulkham Hills and Bella Vista

For our more apprehensive patients or for children who are a little nervous about their dental treatment, we offer nitrous oxide sedation. For eligible patients, nitrous oxide (commonly referred to as "happy gas") provides the benefit of relaxation during your appointment but will typically allow you to return to feeling normal quickly so that you can drive and continue with your day afterwards. Many patients report that it helps them relax and takes the sting and intensity out of their dental visits.

Our mission is to make you feel safe and as comfortable as we can. We take pride in the number of Hills District patients we have helped through anxiety to a healthy smile. If you suffer from dental phobia, we can also book conscious sedation for anxious patients if needed. Sometimes it's a good idea to book in for a chat and a look to start a plan of action to get your healthy smile back.

Note: All surgical and sedation procedures carry potential risks and complications. Your dentist will discuss these with you in detail before your treatment and answer any questions you may have.