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1.  A removable acrylic or metal partial denture with visible retainer wires (image 1 above)
2. A porcelain bridge which requires permanent and irreversible damage to your adjacent teeth (image 2 above)
3.  A conventional dental implant which requires surgery  and  a healing period of up to 6 months (image 3 above)

The preferred option for which patients attend our clinic is: 
4.  A conservative keyhole dental implant which does not require surgery, is virtually painless, does not damage adjacent teeth

     and allows for completion of treatment within just a few weeks ..... and at reduced cost. (image 4 above)

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Conservative keyhole dental implant techniques require a very minimal entry point through the gum measuring 1.1-2.4mms

and because the gum is not cut and stitched, there is virtually no post-operative pain. As a result of the immediate

firm foundation they provide, these implants are the most ideal and economical method to replace missing teeth.

Initially, non-removable temporary teeth are created, followed a few weeks later with porcelain crowns and bridges.

This advancement in conservative implant treatments has made the replacement ​of missing teeth possible for more patients

than ever before, especially for those who fit into the following categories: 

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1. Patients with narrow bony ridges and who have been advised that they need bone grafts before implants

2. Those who have medical conditions and cannot be treated with conventional implants

3. Patients who have a gagging problem and cannot tolerate removable false teeth

4. Patients who have dentures which show unsightly metal clasps  

          1. First appointment takes 1 hour for implant placement, impressions and fabrication of an acrylic temporary tooth.  

          2. Second appointment takes 30 minutes for crown cementation. Anaesthesia is only required at the first visit. 

Two Visit Treatment 

  Treatment Time 4 -6 Weeks

           The entry point                            The implant in the gum                  The final porcelain tooth

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Non-removable porcelain bridge on implants                                      Front view               

Removable denture for upper jaw                                        Without the denture    

Denture seated in palate                      Missing front tooth                       The single-tooth denture

    Keyhole implant in gum                 Porcelain crown on implant                           Front view 

 UPDATE 

1st August 2024

According to a video interview in early July 2024 with Dr. Gordon Christensen, an internationally recognised and respected clinical researcher from the USA, the evidence over the past 20-25 years is now clearly showing that the keyhole technique for narrow diameter implants has a higher success rate than the more invasive conventional surgical method which requires opening the gums, drilling wide deep channels into the jawbone removing healthy bone to allow for the insertion of implants before stitching the gums back.  The trauma of this surgery requires a healing phase that can take around 6 months before a lesser operation is required to connect the support (implant abutment) for the final porcelain tooth. If such implants fail, the damage to the jaw is compounded.

With our keyhole method for single-stage implants, the procedures are greatly streamlined to produce an ideal result within weeks rather than months, and in the rare instance when an implant fails, there are far less complications than if a two-stage surgical implant fails! 

At the Keyhole Implant Dentistry Centre in Sydney, after being the first to carry out this procedure in Australia back in 2003, initiated by a 78 year old patient who wanted to replace her large 9-tooth removable upper denture with a non-removable bridge, we have now treated hundreds of other patients and can confirm that Dr. Christensen's findings are in agreement with our experience.

You may like to review the last series of 4 images above, as they are of that very first patient who received this treatment in Australia. Sadly, at the age of 90, she passed away, having enjoyed her last 12 years of life to the fullest, with a set of non-removable teeth once again, thanks to her willingness to trust us to take care of her.

Up until that time, since 1984  our patients received surgical implant procedures which involved the standard techniques that most dentists are still using, completely believing that there was no other way! 

However, because of the need to help that first patient, we stepped out of the crowd and started creating simpler solutions for our patients who had complex clinical problems.  As we assisted more and more patients, it quickly became obvious that THIS was the new, better modern method that we had to embrace for the benefit of all our patients. 

In agreement with Dr. Gordon Christensen, we know and now have the longterm experience confirming that the conservative implant method we use with single-stage titanium implants using a keyhole approach, is in the best interests of our patients ........ far less invasive, virtually painless, without bruising and swelling, with immediate results, with high success rates and within the budget of a greater percentage of the community.