Mr H was referred to Elmsleigh House because his upper two central incisors presented with a history of problems; both had been root treated and their prognosis was poor. He also had a crowded upper arch, which had affected his bite.
Mr H first saw Hugh Cowley for a dental implant consultation; Hugh is our oral surgeon with extensive experience placing dental implants to replace one or many missing teeth.
Hugh performed a thorough dental examination and determined that both Mr H’s upper front teeth and been damaged many years ago and had undergone root canal and extensive restorative treatment. One was loose with gum pocketing, and both had a questionable future.
Hugh determined that the arches of his upper and lower jaws were not correctly aligned and would be transformed both functionally and cosmetically with orthodontic treatment; once aligned, this would give the space needed to place two dental implants when the two upper teeth failed sufficiently to be removed. Hugh referred Mr H to our specialist in orthodontics (teeth straightening), Kostas Spathoulas.
Kostas determined that Mr H had severe crowding of his upper front teeth, constricted upper and lower dental arches and an overbite. The treatment plan was to align and coordinate both dental arches and relieve the crowding of his upper teeth to create space for two dental implants using a series of Invisalign clear aligners.
Kostas used advanced 3D scanning technology to scan and plan Invisalign treatment from the initial position of the teeth to the final desired result.
This was used to create a series of clear aligners to move teeth predictably into position. Each aligner was worn for a minimum of 20–22 hours a day for 7 to 10 days, applying force to move specific teeth into position, before being replaced by the next in the series until Mr H’s teeth were aligned; retainers maintained position.
As Mr H’s front teeth had continued to fail, he returned to see Hugh who removed his failing two front teeth, fitting white composite material into his retainers to mask the gap. After healing, Hugh then placed two dental implants, essentially ‘bionic roots’, where small titanium screws were placed into the jawbone; as bone had been lost around Mr H’s front teeth, Hugh also placed bone regenerative material to augment the bone and enable secure implant placement.
After a period of healing and implant-cap placement, two implant crowns were made to match the colour, translucency and shape of his other teeth. Mr H returned to his own dentist for routine dental care, and was delighted with his orthodontic and implant treatment at Elmsleigh House.
