I’m almost 40 years old now and for most of my life, I’ve had very healthy teeth with no significant issues. I did have a few minor dental cavities and filling work done, but nothing more serious like crowns or bridges. Everything was fine until I lost one of my front teeth in an accident. My dentist suggested several alternatives such as a bridge or a dental implant. I totally dreaded the idea of a bridge, especially because I’ve never seen one in the frontal area of the mouth that looks good, especially after several years. It seemed that the best long-term and most successful solution was a dental implant.

My regular dentist recommended a dental implant Melbourne specialist he knew and trusted to get the procedure done. During my first appointment, the oral surgeon did a comprehensive examination of my teeth and explained how the procedure would be done. Not having had any major dental work done before, my anxiety level was through the roof, especially because of the image of drilling a hole in the bone and placing in a titanium stud. But the dental implant specialist ensured me there was nothing to be afraid of and I decided to trust him.

On the day of the procedure, they injected me with local anesthetic and except for the stinging sensation, I felt very little else during the procedure. The oral surgeon was very good at talking me through each step of the procedure as he performed them. This really helped lower my anxiety during the whole procedure.

The drilling went quickly and some slight pressure was all I felt. The actual implant was placed into the jaw, with no pain as well. The next step was to make a temporary tooth, so I didn’t have to walk around with a hole in my smile anymore. The dentist specialist made the tooth on the spot and the shape and color were pretty much close to my original teeth.

The temporary tooth was kept in place for about 3 months to allow the bone to grow around the implant. I had some checkups done during this period. Once the 3 months passed, I received a permanent tooth made of porcelain, which matched my real teeth extremely well in both colour, shape and texture.

Today, after significant amount of time has passed, I can say that undoubtedly the implant does not alter the sensation of chewing and biting. In fact, looking back, the procedure and the results were much better than I had imagined. I believe the secret to succeeding with a dental implant is to find a qualified dental implant Melbourne specialist who has years of experience under their belt. Thanks to my dentist, my new tooth looks so natural that no one will never notice it’s an implant.