Dentalcareplus, a leading UK provider of affordable dental implant treatments, has launched a ‘Keep Smiling’ campaign to raise awareness of the importance of proactive patient oral hygiene and its role in the promotion of the long-term success of dental implants.
The campaign launches amidst negative press commentary regarding the apparent growing public misconception questioning the value of dental implant surgery and the viability of long-term success rates.
Dentalcareplus has created an educational leaflet and free dental cleaning kit advising and supporting patients on their critical role in maintaining dental health and their commitment to a rigorous after-care plan.
The ‘Keep Smiling’ leaflet outlines five key steps patients should follow to promote long-term implant success including regular hygiene therapy, dental check-ups with their local dentists and attending Dentalcareplus’s three-year post-completion implant review programme. It clarifies that, as with natural teeth, a higher incident and likelihood of failed dental implants could ensue in the absence of these steps.
The leaflet also provides general tips for cleaning at home and identifies the key contributing factors to failed implant treatment. The ‘Keep Smiling’ dental cleaning kit consists of travel toothpaste, a travel toothbrush and interdental brushes and will be provided to all patients upon treatment completion to support their at-home after-care efforts to maintain total oral health.
Dentalcareplus takes a rigorous and proactive approach to diagnosis, pre-education and treatment planning, prior to patient treatment as part of its informed consent process and whole mouth approach to diagnosis including a rigorous consultation to identify any patient-specific oral health issues, a detailed 3D CBCT scan to measure bone quality and quantity, an upfront and honest approach to treatment recommendations including referring patients back to their dentist to address more pressing dental issues or other specialist input, that negate the viability of implant treatments at the time or in some rare cases, advising against dental implants all together.
Post-treatment, all Dentalcareplus patients are carefully monitored under a three-year post-restorative programme, required to attend a post-completion implant review at four to six months after treatment completion and on annual basis thereafter to identify any hygiene or dental health issues that may impact on the implants.
Registered specialist oral surgeon, Stephen Garner, of Dentalcareplus Manchester said: ‘It’s sad to the see the ignorance and blatant scare-mongering of recent national press articles that have served to devalue dental implant treatment and raise questions over the viability of its long-term success amongst potential patients.
He continued: ‘Dental implant practitioners have a responsibility to take a whole mouth approach in their diagnosis and consultations with patients. At Dentalcareplus we are steadfast in our commitment to responsible dentistry and patient education. Through our rigorous informed consent process we ensure patients are fully aware of the facts prior to committing to treatment and we deliver a personalised and whole mouth diagnosis that highlights the risks of potential implant failure in their particular case and ultimately, the vital importance of their role and contribution in countering these’.
Across its five UK clinics, Dentalcareplus has more than 10,000 patients and has placed in excess of 5,000 implants over the past eight years. Dentalcareplus does not undertake general dentistry but openly welcomes referrals from other GDPs, for CT scanning services, simple to complex implant cases or complex bone augmentation cases.
