Dental Implants – Invest in a Strong, Stable and Beautiful Smile for Life
Dental implants will give you a permanent and natural-looking smile and improved oral function for life. Micheal, Amanda and Janet provide world-class implant dentistry services that will get back your youthful smile.
Dental implants for a life-long smile
At Thompson Dental, our cosmetic dentists – Michael Thompson, Amanda Hawkins, and Janet Lund – have decades of experience in cosmetic and restorative dentistry, including life-changing dental implants. All three are members of the New Zealand Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and have built reputations for gentle, meticulous care that puts patients at ease. They combine expertise with a genuine passion for creating and maintaining healthy, confident smiles.
When placed with expert care, dental implants restore strength and stability – helping you keep a healthy, confident smile for decades to come.
Benefits of Dental Implants
- Boost your confidence with a strong, stable smile
- Durable enough to last a lifetime
- Eat naturally with ease
- Improve oral function permanently
- Improve oral health with easy brushing and flossing
- Maintain integrity of jawbone and facial bone structure
- Restore natural bite force
- Speaking clearly without impediment
- Stabilise a denture or bridge
Psychological Impact of Dental Implants
Regaining a smile you feel proud to share has proven psychological benefits. Implants are durable and stable, restoring normal oral function and making them a preferred alternative to dentures. Studies show that patients experience significant improvements in confidence, self-image, and quality of life after implant treatment.
Implant Treatment Options
Full-mouth dental implant reconstruction can be used when all teeth need replacing, while single or multiple implants can be placed to stabilise a denture or bridge. Titanium posts anchored into the jaw provide the stimulation needed to prevent bone loss and preserve your facial structure.
Implant Alternatives
Dental dentures and bridges offer a more affordable solution to replacing missing teeth. However, implants are the most like your natural teeth and provide the most stable and durable solution of all restorations.
Book an Implant Dentist Assessment
Book a cosmetic dental consultation with Michael, Amanda or Janet to get a professional assessment of your dental needs. We are based in Mt Albert Road, Mt Roskill, Auckland.
What are Dental Implants?
A dental implant is a surgical fixture that is placed into the jawbone. These implant posts fuse with the bone over a few months. The implant acts as a replacement for the root of a missing tooth and serves to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. The implant posts are made of titanium, which allows them to integrate with bone without being recognised as a foreign object in our body.
Osseointegration Provides Stability
The process of fusion between the dental implant and jawbone is called “osseointegration.” Having a dental implant fused to the jawbone is the closest thing to mimicking a natural tooth because it stands on its own without affecting the nearby teeth providing great stability.
Dental Implant FAQs
Preparation
Your dentist will first need to remove any damaged teeth.
Implant placement
Dental implant surgery involves an incision in the gums in the location of the missing tooth followed by the placement of a titanium screw into the jawbone.
Healing and osseointegration
Your gums will take a few weeks to heal and the titanium post will take a few months to fuse with the bone, this process is called osseointegration. The process of osseointegration allows dental implants to become a permanent part of your jaw, forming a secure connection to hold the tooth for life.
Placing the abutment
When the dental implant and surrounding bone have sufficiently healed to form a secure connection, the gum will be reopened and a small metal connector called an abutment will be attached to the implant post to hold the artificial tooth. The gum will need around 14 days to health before the dentist can secure the prosthetic teeth. Impressions will be taken at this stage and sent to a specialised dental technician who will design dental prosthetics that are matched to the colour, shape and size of your existing teeth.
Replacement teeth
Implant teeth that provide extremely natural looking replacement teeth will be attached to the abutment. A single tooth will be replaced with a dental crown and larger sections of missing teeth may either be replaced with multiple crowns or a single dental bridge.
Dental implants will not develop cavities, however dental implant care and maintenance is essential to protecting the gums and jawbone that are equally susceptible to gum infections as your natural teeth. Practicing both dental implant home care maintenance and regular visits to the dentist and hygienist will keep your teeth free of destructive bacteria and plaque and preserve the integrity of your smile.
- Brush twice a day with a soft-bristle toothbrush and low-abrasive toothpaste
- Clean under and around the implant crown
- Floss daily with unwaxed tape or implant-specific floss
- Oral irrigators are more effective at preventing gingivitis than flossing
- Use an interdental brush to clean hard-to-reach places
- Visit the dentist every 6 months routine check-ups
- Visit the oral hygienist every 6 months for a deeper cleaning of dental implants