Dental Implant Types

Dental implants in Glasgow at St Vincent Smile ›

The Three Designs of Implant

When people talk about the three types of dental implants, these are the three designs they usually mean.

• Endosteal implants. "Endosteal" means within the bone. A screw-shaped post is placed in the jawbone, the bone bonds to its surface over the following months, and a crown, bridge or denture is then attached on top. This is the implant almost everyone means when they say "dental implant", and it's the type we place.
• Subperiosteal implants. A metal framework that sits on top of the jawbone, under the gum, with posts that come through to hold teeth. It was used where there wasn't enough bone height for an implant, and is now rarely used, because bone grafting and angled implants deal with most of those cases.
• Zygomatic implants. Much longer implants that pass through the upper jaw and anchor in the cheekbone. They're for people whose upper jaw has lost so much bone that ordinary implants can't be placed, and they involve a more complex operation.

For most people the design isn't really a choice: a CT scan shows how much bone you have, and that decides what's possible. If your scan suggests ordinary implants won't have enough bone to hold them, we'll explain what can be done, including bone grafting, and what your other options are.

What Implants Can Hold: Four Ways to Replace Teeth

• A single implant and crown replaces one tooth without touching the teeth either side. From £2,775 at St Vincent Smile, before any bone grafting.²
• An implant bridge replaces several teeth in a row on fewer implants, for example three teeth on two implants. It's quoted after your CT scan, with each implant and each crown unit set out in your plan.
• An implant-retained denture clips onto implants, usually two for a lower denture and four for an upper one. It stops a loose denture moving, but can still be taken out to clean. From £8,500 per jaw.²
• A full fixed arch, such as All-on-4, is a whole arch of teeth fixed to four or more implants. It doesn't come out, and only your dentist can remove it. From £9,300 per arch.²

All four use the same kind of implant in the bone. What changes is how many implants there are and what's fixed to them. Our guide to an implant, a bridge or a denture for one missing tooth compares the options where only one tooth is missing.

All-on-4 and Other Full-Arch Implants

All-on-4 isn't a different kind of implant. It's a way of arranging ordinary implants: four in the arch, with the two at the back angled to make the most of the bone that's there, holding a fixed bridge of teeth. Where there's more bone, more implants can be used. Here, Dr Davinder Kalsi and Dr Nikhil Sharma work side by side on every full-arch case, so each one has two dental surgeons planning and placing the implants, and there are four pathways depending on how quickly you want fixed teeth and what they're made from. Our page on All-on-4 dental implants in Glasgow sets out each pathway and its fee.

When the Implant Goes in: Straight Away or Later

Implants are also described by their timing.

• Immediate placement: the tooth comes out and the implant goes into its socket in one visit, if the surrounding bone is sound enough to hold it firmly.
• Delayed placement: the socket heals for a few months first, sometimes with a bone graft, and the implant is placed into healed bone.
• Same-day fixed teeth: for a full arch, the implants go in and a temporary fixed bridge is attached that day, where your bone allows. The final bridge follows once the implants have bonded with the bone, usually about three months later. Our same day teeth page explains who it suits, from £13,500 per arch.²

Your CT scan and your gums decide which timing is safe for you. Placing an implant sooner isn't better if the bone isn't ready to hold it.

Titanium, Zirconia and Mini Implants

Most dental implants are made of titanium, which bone bonds to reliably and which has decades of research behind it. Zirconia, a white ceramic, is an alternative some people ask about; it has a shorter track record. Mini implants are narrower than standard implants and are sometimes used to steady a lower denture where the bone is thin.

Here, Dr Davinder Kalsi uses MegaGen AnyRidge implants; the AnyRidge system carries CleanImplant's Trusted Quality seal. He plans each one on our own CT scanner, and MegaGen R2 guided surgery turns that plan into a 3D-printed guide used during the operation, so the implant goes where it was planned.

Which Type Do You Need?

It depends on how many teeth are missing or failing, how much bone you have, the health of your gums, whether you smoke, and whether you'd rather have teeth that are fixed or a denture you can take out. Cost matters too, and so does how long you're willing to wait for your final teeth.

The implant consultation is free. Dr Kalsi examines your mouth, talks through what you want, and explains which options would work and what each costs, in writing. For a single implant, the planning CT scan is £160; for full-arch treatment, the consultation and the CT scan are both free.² Our page on dental implants in Glasgow explains what treatment involves, and the implant cost guide sets out every fee.

Questions

This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.