Known in the trade as an Endosteal implant it is the most popular one chosen by dental surgeons for their patients. They were devised in the U.K. and Sweden in the 1960s and recent innovations have made them more popular of late. They are a good alternative to dentures and bridges and as many people don’t get on with dentures, they are sought more and more these days. The implant itself isn’t the artificial tooth, but rather a plate made of titanium, this is a very hard wearing non-ferrous metal used in the airplane and helicopter manufacturing industry. The treatment takes a good few months to complete as a natural process called Osseointergration needs to take place during the first stages. First tests are carried out to ascertain if the jaw bone is wide and strong enough to take the implant, if its not which is rare, then a graft can be done to compensate for it. The tests will include digital x-rays and photos, measurements and colour coding of the teeth around the gap to be filled. All being well the next stage is carried out by a dental surgeon, they will cut into the gum and expose the jaw bone, and onto this they will fix the implant in place. This is either done by using self tapping screws or drilling holes to insert cylinders attached to the plate. The incision is then stitched and the plate is left to fuse with the bone. Nature comes in to help here as it produces bone to grow around the implant and integrate it into the jaw, forming an artificial root for the tooth. This can take anything from three to six months to complete, but once done the treatment can be finished off. The patient will go back and be fitted with abutments to the plate, these will form the studs that the teeth will fit onto, there can be one or more abutments fitted to an implant plate. The tooth is now made using a material that is hard wearing; it looks acts and performs just like a natural tooth and will out wear your natural molars. You will need to adjust your chewing process to suit, but this will come naturally, they need no special care and your usual dental oral hygiene routine will be enough to maintain them in good order. Flossing and brushing along with tartar removal is just the same process as you usually perform it.