What experience do people have of dental implants? Lisette 24, Student Lisette was born missing the tooth buds for two of the permanent teeth. When she started to lose her milk teeth, two of her front teeth did not appear. ”In the hope that my new teeth would grow closer together, my baby teeth were pulled out. Nothing happened apart from getting an ugly gap, which I did my best to cover. When I was seventeen, my dentist recommended two implants. The treatment took about six months and did sometimes feel a bit tiresome. Now I know it was worth the trouble. I dream of becoming a nurse and it is a big advantage to be able to give my patients a smile without feeling embarrassed.” Bengt 55, Consultant Because of an injury in his teens,Bengt had to live for several years with a miscolored front tooth. Additional complications with the root led to the need for a prosthetic replacement which did not function satisfactory. It came loose on several occasions. “I woke up the morning of an important seminar and found myself staring at a big gap in my mouth. When my dentist suggested an implant, I didn´t hesitate for a moment. In my work the way you look is crucial for making a confident impression. Today I have lived for ten years without any problems with my new front tooth. I have even started to play the trombone again. That would have been impossible with my old tooth!” Christina As a child, Christina fell off her bike and injured one of her front teeth. When she grew older, she suffered from repeated infections, and had to have root canal treatment on the injured tooth. “One day part of the tooth cracked and had to be replaced by a crown, leaving me afraid to eat certain kinds of food. Unfortunately, that wasn´t the end of my problems, I finally had to have the root taken out. Now, people can hardly believe me when I tell them my new tooth is a dental implant. It looks just like the real thing! Eating is no longer a problem. Now both my horses and I can enjoy carrots!” Othmar 74, retired high school teacher Because of the lack of proper dental care when he was young, Othmar lost three teeth in the left part of the lower jaw. Later in life, he also suffered a minor stroke which made him lose his taste in the right side of his mouth. “When everything was at its worst, I could not chew on my left side due to the missing teeth, and if I chewed on my right side I was unable to taste the food!” In the late eighties Othmar received three new teeth anchored on implants. “I was working as a high school teacher then, but I never had to be off work sick because of my treatment. Today, I can chew, taste and enjoy the things I eat. My new teeth are easy to clean and take care of, and the fact that my looks have improved is, of course, an enormous advantage!” Barbro 64, secretary Barbro had many problems with the teeth in her upper jaw, for which her dentist suggested implant treatment. The initial examination showed that she did not have enough bone to anchor dental implants. So to start with, Barbro had to have a bone transplant using bone from her hip. “Everything went fine and when my jaw had healed, they went ahead with the installation of the implants. When the time came to make my new teeth, I made it clear that I didn’t want my teeth to look too perfect. I wanted the teeth to look natural for my age. The result was beyond my expectations! Today I don’t understand how I managed before. I would never dream of wearing a denture again!”