We are delighted to announce we have surpassed the magic number of 25,000 dental implants placed to the satisfaction of our many patients. This number may not have much meaning to you initially, but we can confirm it is a highly significant number.

Why is this achievement so important to us – and to you?

Success can be measured in many ways in implant dentistry. If the implant placement is successful and osseointegration (the fusion between bone and implant) is completed without incident, the process is complete and is deemed to be a success. The bone treatment must heal completely and new bone must form to make a patient suitable for dental implants. It is a true success if the implant and the superstructure it is attached to function well together, enabling the patient to use their new teeth just as they would use their natural ones.

Of course, it is also a success if the patient is delighted with the results and with the dentist who created them. The relationship between the dentist and the patient must be excellent in order for the treatment to be considered a true success in every respect.

You may think we measure success with the number given above. This is not the case. Implant treatment success stories are only possible when the dental professional has the expertise and experience to complete them successfully at all times.

Are dental implants straightforward to place?

Many people believe the idea behind dental implants is very simple. You prepare the bone and screw in the implant. But while this is a very basic concept of the procedure, the reality is in fact extremely complex.

There are several things that can go wrong with implant treatments. Many of these factors cannot be taught in dental school. They must be experienced in the real world. The dentist must get used to the process and the procedures they are required to perform in order to place a successful implant with the minimum of complications.

The first step is to select the correct implant size for the patient. There is a difference of just a fraction of a millimetre between different sizes and types of implants, so the decision making process is much more difficult than you may think.

Furthermore the site of the implant must be thoroughly cleaned and free from infection and inflammation before the treatment can take place. We must also take good care of the bone when preparing the site to receive the implant. No overheating of the area must occur, and the angle must be perfect in order to accommodate the crownwork that will take place at a later date. Furthermore a dental implant can neither be too high or too low in the mouth. The dentist must also ensure no nerves are touched or damaged during any stage of the procedure. These are just a few of the issues a dentist must keep in mind during a dental implant procedure, and indeed there are many more.

No separate qualifications are required in the UK – and indeed in dentistry as a whole – in order for a dentist to start providing implants to their patients. This can be rather confusing for someone looking to get a dental implant at a particular surgery.

Many general practices do offer implant treatments. But they are quite expensive so while many practices may complete thousands of regular treatments each year, they may only complete a handful of dental implants. This creates a false feeling of safety for the patient. They may reasonably think that their local practice has the same degree of expertise with implants as they do with fillings and root canal treatments. In addition many dentists state that they are experienced with implants or even an expert in the field. This may occur despite the fact they have only placed 50-100 implants.

How many implants should an expert implant dentist have placed?

When choosing an implant dentist we would advise that you choose a dentist who has completed at least 1,000 implant treatments. You should also look into their credentials as a dentist and consider their success rate. Given this information it is perhaps not so surprising to learn that a number of specialist implant treatment centres have opened up in recent years.

Meet our head dentist – Dr Attila Toth

When you take another look at our number of completed implant treatments – more than 25,000 – you will see just how significant the number is. We have the experience and expertise you are looking for and this is how we measure our outstanding record in safety and success.

Our head dentist, with special interest in oral surgery, Dr Attila Toth, Master of Oral Medicine in Implantology, Master of Science in Dental Impantology. He has now performed upward of 20,000 implants, with over 1,200 implants placed in 2011 alone. He is undoubtedly one of the most experienced implant dentists in the EU today.

His success rate is over 99% - a rate that has been independently validated. This is an exceptionally good result within the dental industry. Indeed Dr Toth now performs high class and high quality dental implants and associated treatments such as sinus lift and other bone treatments to the exclusion of all others. We expect him to pass the 25,000 mark of successfully placed implants before end of 2015.

All our other dentists have performed a minimum of several thousand implants. The combined number now totals more than 25,000. It is this level of expertise and experience that we offer for your consideration when you are looking for the right implant dentist to perform your own treatment.