Considering Dental Implants in Cape Town?

Cosmetic dental procedures are more popular than ever. From teeth whitening to dental implants Cape Town residents are no exception to the cosmetic dentistry craze. Any dentist in Cape Town is undoubtedly flooded with requests from patients looking to improve their smiles. Here, we’ll provide an overview of the cosmetic procedures Cape Town dentists most frequently deal with: teeth whitening and dental implants.

Teeth Whitening

For teeth whitening Cape Town residents have a number of options. There are plenty of at home whitening treatments like trays, strips, and gels that can be used to produce results over the course of many months. In office teeth whitening, however, can provide even better results in only hours. The in office treatment is performed by any dentist cape town has to offer who has the appropriate equipment, which includes a powerful ultraviolet laser lamp at between 350 and 400 NM wavelength. The treatment, which takes only 45 minutes, can make teeth eight shades whiter. A concentrated hydrogen peroxide gel is applied to the teeth which are then zapped with the UV lamp for three 15 minute intervals. The cost is usually around $300, but the results are immediate and long lasting.

Dental Implants

Dental implants have become incredibly popular in the last decade. While dentures used to be the only option for patients missing some or all of their teeth, this is no longer the case. Dentures are impermanent and often cause difficulty eating and speaking as they move around in the mouth. Dental implants, on the other hand, are permanent and function just like actual teeth.

For dental implants Cape Town patients must first have an individualized treatment plan developed. This plan addresses specific needs of the patient and is prepared by a team of professionals with experience in oral surgery and restorative dentistry. Next, the tooth root implant, a small titanium post, is placed into the bone socket of the missing tooth. This is the part of the process for dental implants Cape Town residents find the most difficult. Over the next six to 12 weeks, the patient waits for the jawbone to heal, growing around the implanted post and anchoring it securely into the jaw. Once the implant has bonded to the jawbone, a small connector post called an abutment is attached to the post where it will securely hold the new tooth. The dentist makes impressions of the patient’s teeth, creates a model of his or her bite, and bases the new tooth on that model. A replacement tooth, called a crown, is then attached to the abutment.

For edentulous patients, the dental implants Cape Town dentists can offer are more varied. Attachments can be placed on implants that retain and support entire dentures that are fixed into place. All on four implants are used to place full dentures on only four posts. Most who have received dental implants say that the pain is not extremely uncomfortable. Many dentists use local anesthesia, and patients report that implants are less painful than extractions. Learn more: capetown-dental.co.za