Around half a million more patients in the UK every year could enjoy the benefits of dental implants, which enable people with missing teeth to eat, talk, smile and laugh completely normally. Patients can now get implant supported restorations direct from more than 100 UK dental surgeons. So, the option of dental implant treatment is no longer limited to patients who are referred by their own general dental practitioner (GDP) to an implant dentist.

Most adult patients with one or more missing teeth can benefit from dental implant treatment, which can totally restore natural oral function, appearance and confidence. Implant supported dental crowns, bridges and dentures look, feel and function just like real teeth. Dental implants don't damage adjacent healthy teeth and the results can last a lifetime. According to the British Dental Health Foundation patient information leaflet on dental implants, "Over the longer term, implants are usually a more cost-effective and satisfactory option".

The annual number of implant procedures carried out in the UK is a fraction of the volume in other developed countries, like the USA and continental Europe. Based on independent data, an average of only 2-3 patients per year receive implants for each general dental practitioner in the UK (during 2010 approximately 54,000 procedures and 23,000 dentists). Most dentists probably see several potential implant cases every week, but fewer than one in ten provides implant surgery. Despite more than two decades of research and proven clinical practice, few UK GDPs immediately recognise dental implants as the optimum solution when they see a gap in a patient's mouth.

Chris Meldrum, UK Managing Director for implant manufacturer DENTSPLY Friadent explains how access to implant dentistry has been improved: “The implant dentist directory on www.dentists4implants.com has recently been enhanced to provide information for patients, as well as dental practitioners who want to refer cases.  Now, anyone who is thinking about dental implants has direct online access to a list of dentists across the UK who provide the treatment”.

What patients say about dental implant treatment

• 'The finished implants and crowns look and feel like my own teeth, only better'
• 'Now I can laugh, smile, have a lot of fun and kiss with confidence'
• 'I no longer have to choose from a menu the easiest dish to eat!'
• 'My new teeth have given me a new lease of life. I can’t stop smiling'
• 'The treatment has been worth every penny'
• 'It really has changed my life'
• 'My only regret is that I didn’t do it years ago!'

Restoring natural smiles, comfort and confidence
A dental implant is a titanium rod used to replace lost or failing tooth roots, to provide support for replacement teeth, such as crowns, bridges and dentures.

Patient benefits

• Look, feel and function like natural teeth
• Confidence of a completely natural smile
• Ability to eat, talk, smile and laugh with confidence
• Facial profile and gum vitality are maintained
• No uncomfortable or loose dentures what patients say about dental implant treatment

Conditions which can be treated with dental implants

• Replacing missing or failing teeth
• Supporting single crowns and fixed bridges
• Retaining full dentures
• Replacing full and partial dentures

Clinical advantages

• There is no need to damage the adjacent teeth, such as with conventional bridgework
• Continued use of the supporting bone reduces shrinkage caused by biological resorption
• Restorations secured with implants are as firm as natural teeth
• With appropriate care, dental implants can last a lifetime
• Cost-effective in the long term, compared with other types of restoration
• High treatment success rates