Dental implants in Malta that restore how your teeth look, feel and workDental implants in Malta that restore how your teeth look, feel and work

A natural tooth has two parts: the crown you see above the gum, and the root hidden in the jawbone that holds it firm. When you lose a tooth you usually only notice the gap, but it is the missing root that causes the longer-term trouble. A dental implant replaces that root. It is a small screw-shaped post, made of titanium, that is placed into the jaw where the root used to be. Over the following weeks the bone grows onto its surface and locks it in place — a natural process called osseointegration — so the implant becomes a stable foundation of its own.

Once that foundation has healed, a replacement tooth is attached to it. For a single gap that is a crown; for several missing teeth it can be a bridge; for a whole jaw it can be a fixed full arch or a secure removable denture. The implant does the job of the root, and the part on top does the job of the tooth. Because the post is anchored in bone rather than resting on the gum or hanging off the neighbouring teeth, an implant looks, feels and works more like a real tooth than any other way of replacing one.

Why replacing the root matters

Jawbone behaves a little like muscle: it stays strong while it is being used and begins to waste away when it is not. The chewing forces that travel down a tooth root are what keep the bone around it alive. Take the root away and the bone in that spot is no longer stimulated, so within the first year it starts to shrink in height and width. That is why a long-standing gap often leaves a visible dip in the gum, and why dentures that fitted well at first begin to loosen over time. By standing in for the root, an implant keeps the bone loaded and working, which helps preserve both the bone and the shape of your face around it.

Are dental implants right for you?

Most adults who are missing one or more teeth are suitable for implants. What counts far more than age is your general health, the health of your gums, and how much bone there is to anchor the implant. Where the bone has shrunk after a long gap, a bone graft or a sinus lift can often rebuild enough to make an implant possible. Some things do need to be managed first — untreated gum disease, a heavy smoking habit, or a health condition that is not under control — and there are a small number of cases where implants are genuinely not the best choice. The only honest way to know is a consultation and a 3D scan, after which Dr Mifsud will tell you plainly whether implants suit you and, if not, what else would serve you better.

When the bone needs rebuilding first

An implant needs solid bone around it to hold firm, and after a tooth has been missing for a while the bone that used to support its root often shrinks. Where the 3D scan shows the ridge has become too thin or too short, a bone graft can rebuild it before the implant goes in, and in the upper back jaw a sinus lift does the same where the sinus sits too close. For a small amount of bone, the graft and the implant can often be done together; where more is needed, the graft is placed first and left to heal into solid bone. For full arches, the angled placement of All-on-4 frequently makes the most of the bone you already have and avoids grafting altogether.

Planned digitally, made in-house

Every case is planned before an instrument is picked up. A CBCT scan gives a low-dose, three-dimensional picture of your jaw, showing the exact height and width of bone and precisely where the nerve and sinus sit — detail a flat X-ray simply cannot give. From that scan the position, angle and depth of each implant are planned on screen, and for guided cases a 3D-printed surgical guide is made so the implant goes in exactly where it was planned. Because Apex Dental has its own dental laboratory in Birkirkara, the crowns, bridges and full arches that sit on your implants are made close by, which keeps the colour-matching and the fit under the same roof as the surgery.

Why we place Straumann implants

Implant brands are not all equal, and the one in your jaw is meant to stay there for the rest of your life. We place Straumann BLX implants, a Swiss system with one of the longest and most thoroughly documented research records in implant dentistry. Choosing an established manufacturer also matters for the future: should a crown ever need replacing in fifteen or twenty years, the matching components will still be available. Dr Mifsud explains at your consultation which system and which parts your particular case calls for, and why.

How long implants last

The implant itself — the titanium post in the jaw — is designed to be permanent, and once it has fused to the bone there is no reason it cannot last for decades. The part that does wear is the crown on top, which takes the day-to-day force of chewing and might be expected to need replacing somewhere around the fifteen-to-twenty-year mark, much like any hard-working tooth. What decides the lifespan more than anything is how well the gum and bone around the implant are kept healthy, which comes down to cleaning and regular hygiene visits rather than anything out of your hands.

Looking after it

An implant cannot decay, but it still needs the same daily care as a natural tooth. Brushing twice a day, cleaning between the teeth with floss or an interdental brush, and keeping up your hygiene appointments all protect the gum and bone that hold it. The infection that causes gum disease can affect an implant in the same way it affects teeth, so keeping that area clean is what keeps the implant solid for the long term. If you grind your teeth at night, a simple night guard takes the strain off the crown. We show you exactly how to care for yours once it is fitted, and your hygiene visits keep an eye on it.

Implants compared with bridges and dentures

A conventional bridge fills a gap by crowning the healthy teeth on either side and joining a false tooth between them — which means cutting down two sound teeth to carry it, and it does nothing to stop the bone shrinking under the gap. A removable denture rests on the gum and can move when you eat or speak, and over time, as the bone beneath it shrinks, it tends to loosen. An implant is the only option that replaces the root itself, so it stands on its own, leaves the neighbouring teeth untouched, and keeps the bone loaded. A bridge or denture can still be the sensible choice in some cases — for instance where the neighbouring teeth already need crowning — and at your consultation we lay the options out side by side rather than pushing one.

Why patients choose Apex Dental

Your implant treatment is planned and placed in-house by Dr Jonathan Mifsud, an implantologist, rather than referred out part-way through. The 3D scanning, the digital planning, the guided surgery and the dental laboratory that makes your teeth are all kept under one roof, so the whole journey — from the first scan to the final tooth — stays in one pair of hands. You get a clear plan and a price in writing before anything starts, with no pressure to commit, and you are seen at our Trident Park clinic in Mrieħel, in the centre of Malta.