Two Dental Implants


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Sometimes due to accidents, illness or congenital defects, multiple dental implants might be required. If two dental implants are necessary, then a consultation with your dentist will elucidate on the precise placement and type of implants, costs and potential risks. After the procedure, it is important to remember that once the implants are in place, the attached artificial teeth require the same amount of care you would normally dedicate to your natural teeth

Procedure

The main difference in deciding to place two dental implants as opposed to one, is that the loose/missing teeth are in different areas of your jaw hence cannot be replaced through a single dental implant. The procedure remains the same as if only one implant were being placed; hence you may choose between the classic ‘two stage’ procedure or the ‘immediate loading’. The ‘two stage’ procedure involves the dentist making a small incision in your gum to expose the jaw. A cylinder or screw like implant will then be placed in the jawbone and an artificial crown or tooth will be fitted to it for cosmetic reasons. The implant will then have to fuse with the jawbone in a process known as ossointegration, and this might take from 3 to 6 months depending on the deepness and strength of your jaw. The second stage takes place when the ossointegration has completed, thus opening the original incision to fit an abutment or attachment to the implant to which the artificial tooth will be attached.


On the other hand, ‘immediate loading’ performs both stages at once by fixing the abutment soon after the implant is in place. This is often advertised as ‘teeth today’ or ‘teeth now’ schemes; although it considerably reduces the time frame of operation, its success rates are lower than ‘two-stage’ implants, and it is also more expensive than its classic counterpart

How much do two dental implants cost?

Placing two different implants requires considerable skill on the surgeon’s part. Thus make sure to contact an experienced and reliable dentist to perform this delicate operation. Costs may therefore vary drastically between one dental practice and another, or even between a country and another. Although skill is the most important factor involved, the quality of the implant, abutment and artificial tooth are also crucial. Some practices will offer better materials than others, and in the long term the resilience of the artificial tooth does matter indeed.

A very rough estimate of placing two dental implants would include the following costs: initial consultation for both implants (including one set of CT scans, radiology report and diagnostic examination) would be around £50, each porcelain crown would typically be around £250, whereas the abutments would cost between £250-£500 each depending on the selected metal. A classic endosteal implant per se will cost roughly between £900 and £1,400 and depending on your selected dental practice, several optional upgrades will be available such as high quality ceramic to gold crown. ‘Same day’ teeth cost more, and the specific price difference will be agreed during your consultation.

Does it hurt?

The operation is performed under a local anaesthetic, hence does not hurt. You might experience some mild pain and swelling of the jaw and gum soon after the implant has been placed, but dentists usually prescribe pain relief medication in order to keep this under control. Implants are designed to fuse naturally with the bone, hence prolonged pain is not a normal side effect of the operation. As a matter of fact, once the fear of letting the surgeon operate subsides, then pain becomes very minor side effect.

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