1,000 implants and counting…..

Celebrating 1000 implants, Dr Will Carter with (l-r) Dr Paul Howlett, treatment advisor Jade Hand, dental nurse Gemma Smith, business development manager Vicky Philipson and Dr Ian Lane

Dr Will Carter is a Partner and a member of a highly successful team of implant dentists and support staff here at Queensway. He recently celebrated surpassing the 1,000 mark for Nobel Biocare dental implants placed during his career so far. Here he shares what he feels has enabled him to reach such a landmark and to do so with success rates well above the national and international estimated averages.

“I have now placed 1,017 implants with a cumulative success rate of 99.8%. In total, only 11 of these implants failed, of which two were replaced with bridges and nine were replaced with new implants free of charge.

Over a six-year period these results are amazing because they include complex surgeries where bone grafting was performed, as well as those cases where patients were smokers or had diabetes.

I believe the reasons for this success rate are multifactorial. Firstly, I have undertaken extensive further training and education in the UK and abroad, enabling me to really hone my skills and experience.

Aside from this, treatment planning is key for implant success. At Queensway Dental, we take time to plan and assess patients accurately using CBCT scanning to determine volume and quality of bone. We also stabilise patients’ mouths to ensure they are free from underlying infection or pathology before proceeding with advanced cosmetic treatment. Our ethos is that we listen and talk to patients about their oral health in a professional and honest way so that a comprehensive assessment can lead to bespoke, high quality prevention and treatment. We don’t cut corners and we don’t rush.

Maintenance is also very important and we have an experienced team of dental hygienists and therapists who provide effective cleaning around dental implants and help improve patients’ home care routines. It is this element of after care that probably has the most impact on longevity of implant restorations.

Finally, we only use the very best, most reliable implant system – from Nobel Biocare – and fit the highest quality of laboratory-made restorations. I have always chosen products from Nobel Biocare because it is a well-established, trusted brand that has remained at the forefront of implant technology since its inception. We know its systems are always going to be available for patients, so their implants and restorations are ‘future-proof’ to some extent. We hear stories of other manufacturers having problems with implants and withdrawing components or tools from the market and it means patients may suffer if they have one of those cheaper systems placed. This is not the case for those with Nobel Biocare implants.

To complement this, the on-site laboratory means we have a better system of in-house quality control, so we know that only the best materials and processes are used from start to finish. Our patients visit the laboratory directly for advanced photography and shade matching to ensure the best aesthetic result can be achieved. Same-day alterations and additions can also be carried out on any restorations.

I am proud to have placed more than 1,000 dental implants with my team at Queensway Dental, particularly considering the great success rate we have achieved.”

If you’re interested in finding out more about dental implants, book a free consultation today in Billingham or Jesmond.

Back