Referring to our implant service

Those patients likely to be accepted for consultation are patients with:

  • Cancer of the mouth who have surgically lost significant amounts of mandibular, maxillary or facial bone structure. Other non-malignant pathological, acquired or congenital conditions may require similar surgery and management.
  • Trauma – this is usually confined to the replacement of anterior teeth. It is expected that other methods for replacing missing teeth are considered as the first option, before dental implants are considered. It is expected that conventional treatment for traumatically lost teeth may eventually fail, despite being of a high standard and well cared for and such cases may be considered suitable for dental implant treatment.
  • The patient must have excellent oral hygiene, controlled dental disease and missing teeth only at the site of the trauma.
  • Hypodontia – Where there are congenitally missing teeth of strategic importance. Other treatment options such as resin retained bridgework may be deemed more appropriate.
  • Sjorgrens syndrome patients where removable prosthesis are impractical. These patients must first have a positive diagnosis from a recognised UK oral medicine department
  • Technically well-made complete over complete dentures that still have problems with control of the lower denture. N.B we only offer treatment in the lower arch
  • Some patients who have been treated successfully in the hospital for aggressive periodontitis and have excellent oral hygiene practices with strategically important missing or hopeless teeth

Patients will not be accepted for specialist implant treatment at the hospital with:

  • Poor/ inadequate oral hygiene, calculus deposits and where there has been no attempt at disease control
  • Untreated primary disease, e.g. caries, retained roots
  • Tobacco: There is sufficient evidence that smoking is detrimental to the healing and to the success of dental implants. Dental implant treatment will not proceed if the patient uses tobacco.
  • With implant work carried out at any other centre or practice
  • For cosmetic dentistry of any sort
  • For patients for whom removable partial dentures are a reasonable option.
  • For reasons of cost

To refer to this service please complete our restorative dentistry referral form [docx] 36KB and send it to the implant team.