A titanium post in the bone that carries a new tooth. The closest thing to the tooth you lost.
Ooi Dental places dental implants in-house at both Melaka clinics, from a single tooth to a full arch. It usually takes three visits, with three to six months of healing before the final crown, and the timeline for your case is set at the first visit.
An implant is a small titanium post placed in the jaw where a tooth used to be. Once the bone has healed around it, a crown, bridge or denture is fixed on top. Because the post is anchored in bone, the new tooth is stable, and the teeth next to it do not need to be cut down as they would for a conventional bridge.
Ooi Dental offers four kinds: Single Tooth Implant, Implant-Supported Bridge, Implant-Supported Denture and Full-Mouth Implant Rehabilitation.
Adults with one or more missing teeth, enough bone to hold the post, and gums that are healthy. If an implant is not right for you, a bridge or a denture may be, and we will say so.
Consultation and digital assessment: an intraoral scan, and any X-ray needed to see the bone.
A plan you can see on screen: where the implant goes, what goes on top, how long it takes, what it costs.
Placement: the post goes into the bone under local anaesthetic, in a single appointment.
Healing: the bone bonds to the post over about three to six months, which is what makes the new tooth stable. Nothing final goes on top until that has happened. If the gap shows when you smile, you have a temporary tooth in the meantime.
The final crown, bridge or denture is made to fit the implant and fitted at a later visit.
Maintenance: cleaning at home the way we show you, and regular check-ups so the gum around the implant stays healthy.
That depends on how many teeth are missing. One missing tooth takes a Single Tooth Implant: one post, one crown. Several missing teeth in a row can be carried by an Implant-Supported Bridge, so you need fewer posts than teeth. If you wear a denture, an Implant-Supported Denture clips onto implants so it stops moving. Full-Mouth Implant Rehabilitation replaces a whole arch.
Bone is usually the deciding factor. If the bone is too thin, grafting comes first, and that adds a stage to the plan. If gum disease is present, it is treated first. Both show up at the assessment, so you know before you commit. Implants, bridges and dentures compared.
Ooi Dental does not publish treatment fees. You will be told the cost of your plan before anything starts, and you decide from there.
What affects the cost is the number of implants, whether bone grafting is needed, and what goes on top. Read what affects the cost of tooth replacement.
Usually three visits in total, with three to six months of healing between placing the implant and fitting the final crown. Your dentist sets the timeline for your case at the first visit.
Not where it shows. If the missing tooth is visible when you smile, Ooi Dental gives you a temporary tooth during the healing period.
Placement is done under local anaesthetic, so you feel pressure rather than pain. Your dentist tells you what to expect afterwards and what to take for it before you leave.
The post is designed to stay: it bonds to the bone and behaves like a root. The crown on top is the part that wears, so it is the part more likely to be replaced first. How long either lasts depends on cleaning at home and on keeping up check-ups.
Bone grafting comes first, which adds a stage to the plan. Whether you need it shows up at the assessment, before you commit.
An implant does not need the teeth next to the gap to be cut down, which a conventional bridge does. That is the main reason people choose an implant when both are possible. Your dentist tells you which ones suit your mouth.
Not the final tooth. The bone has to bond to the post first, so the crown goes on at a later visit. Same-day work at Ooi Dental is denture work from the in-house laboratory, which is a different treatment.
Want the whole picture in one place? Read Tooth replacement in Melaka: the complete guide.
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