Frequently asked questions
Q: How do I book a Full Clinical Assessment appointment with Evo?
A:
You can take the next step in changing your life by:
1 – Completing a ‘Suitability Test’ (upper right)
2 – Calling:
Give us a call on – 0203 137 9714
3 – Clicking the ‘Live Chat’ button (lower right)
4 – Clicking the Contact Us Form on the location pages
Q: What is the difference between Evo and other normal dental practices that do implants?
A: We do not offer routine or general dental services (e.g. check-ups, hygiene, fillings, root canal treatments, single dental implants etc).
We ONLY perform the EvoSolution™, a precision engineered fixed full-arch dental implant restoration. We have completed thousands of them. This means that ALL clinical cases must require at least one full jaw correcting with dental implants and fixed teeth.
Other differentiating factors include:
- We have our own in-house laboratories, with digital software and 3D printing technology
- Our surgeries do not require bone grafting
- Evo clinicians can place implants in the Pterygoid bone (so we can avoid Sinus lifts).
We will only extract teeth that cannot be saved and we do not invite people in for Clinical Assessment, we turn people away if they have perfectly healthy teeth and do not require a full jaw dental implant restoration.
Q: How many appointments does it take to complete EvoSolution™?
A full breakdown of what to expect from your Evo Journey can be found here
Q: Why doesn’t the EvoSolution™ require bone grafting?
A: In traditional dentistry, when providing implants around existing teeth that are healthy and staying put, it is often necessary to add bone graft materials to rebuild the lost architecture so it can complement the architecture of the adjacent existing teeth.
Our procedures involve a full jaw correction. With full jaw correction, we only need bone that is no more than 5mm wide and 10mm high, and of adequate spread, across the jaw.
With cone beam CT (CBCT) scanning (which we provide for free in the clinical assessment), we can evaluate the availability, position and quality of even these small amounts of remaining bone.
We use newer implant techniques, such as placing pterygoid and zygomatic implants – which negate the need in most cases for either bone grafts or sinus lifts.
Q: How often do I need my EvoSolution™ bridge professionally examined?
A:
Annually. Proper maintenance is extremely important to the stability of the implants as well as the longevity of the bridge. An EvoSolutionTM bridge needs to be professionally examined by an Evo Clinician annually. In this Annual Maintenance appointment, we will:
- Check implant stability and integration
- Check you dental prosthesis (to detect any signs of wear and tear).
- Check supporting structures (soft tissue levels, bone) are healthy
- Extra & intra oral examination taken, with x-rays as appropriate.
- Multiple photos, phonetic check (using video)
- The service may include the removal of your prosthesis to undergoes microscopic analysis in our on-site lab, a full ultrasonic clean and polish of your teeth to return them to their original finish, and brand new connecting screws fitted where necessary. This will ensure a continued excellent fit and a ‘good as new’ feel.
Your aftercare and home-care routine can also significantly influence implant success and you will receive detailed instructions on this.
Q: What do the EvoSolution™ dental implant bridges feel like?
A: If your natural teeth have been missing or compromised for many years, having a new bridge in the mouth will be a new sensation and might take some getting used to. Given time, the bridge will feel as close to your natural teeth as possible. There certainly won’t be any uncomfortable, bulky palate that you find with dentures.
Q: Can I send my X-ray or CBCT scan for evaluation?
A: Yes, of course. Please just give us a call and we will organise this with you.
Q: How do I care for my EvoSolution™ bridge?
A: We will give you detailed aftercare instructions when you come to see us. This will tell you what to do at different intervals following Reset Day (surgery). You also need to attend your Annual Maintenance appointments.
You should brush your bridges like you did your natural teeth; twice daily with the soft toothbrush that we provide. Use a non-abrasive tooth gel as opposed to a regular toothpaste.
An electronic toothbrush should not be used until instructed to by our Evo clinical team (usually after 5 months). Do not brush your gums as this will affect proper healing. After 5 months, we recommend an electronic toothbrush such as a Philips Sonicare.
Oral irrigators are excellent for cleaning under the prosthesis (along with vigorous rinsing). We recommend the Waterpik or Silonit Oral irrigator. Interproximal brushes may be used under the lower prosthesis. These brushes look like little bottle brushes (eg TePe brushes) and are widely available.
Q: How can the dental implants be placed at the same time as removing teeth?
A: In most cases, the best time to place implants is when we are removing teeth, as you are using the same healing process after tooth removal to integrate bone to the implants.
Q: What is PMMA?
A:
The first use of Poly Methyl Meth-Acrylate (PMMA) as a dental biomaterial was for the fabrication of complete denture bases. Its qualities of biocompatibility, reliability, repairability, retrievability, relative ease of manipulation and low toxicity were soon seized upon and incorporated by many different medical specialities.
PMMA has been used for bone cements in orthopaedics; contact and intraocular lens inopthalmology; screw fixation in bone; filler for bone cavities and skull defects; and vertebrae stabilisation in osteoporotic patients.
Our PMMA is produced using no inorganic fibres or fillers. The polymer network is the strongest, most dense, and tissue-friendly material on the market. It is plaque resistant, abrasion-resistant and stain-resistant.
Q: What if I’ve been told I don’t have enough bone for dental implants?
A: A percentage of our patients that have been told they are not candidates for traditional dental implant options are suitable for the EvoSolution™.
Conventional approaches of placing dental implants for full jaw correction can require sinus lifts and bone grafting and a minimum of 6 to 9 months waiting and healing time.
The EvoSolution™ places the back implants at angles and uses the Zygomatic and Pterygoid bone to anchor implants beyond the jaw bone and provide stable and predictable long term results.
Q: Is it better to have 4 or 6 implants?
A: The Evo team will place the necessary number of implants required for the best treatment outcome in each individual case, whether this means 4, 5 or 6 implants per jaw.
Using a CBCT scan and our digital 3D software, we are able to carry out the full procedure ‘virtually’ before any surgery takes place, making any alterations that are necessary to get to the final predicted outcome. Treatment cost will not be affected by the number of implants used.
Q: Is dental implant treatment painful?
A:
The simple answer is ‘no’, it shouldn’t. We believe in total pain management and carry out the surgical procedure under local anaesthetic.
As with all extensive dental treatment, some patients will experience post-operative tenderness in the mouth and mild swelling for a few days after the procedure.
Full pre and post-operative medications and instructions are provided by our clinical team.
Q: What if I have severe dental anxiety or dental phobia?
A: Please talk to us about any concerns you have. We pride ourselves on being welcoming, caring, understanding, non-judgemental, professional, and extremely friendly.
However, for those patients who are phobic we suggest you consider attending Dental Hospital as specifically trained to help. For patients who are anxious or nervous we offer two types of sedation:
- Oral Sedation – This medication comes as a tablet and is taken with water before the procedure. This is used in addition to local (needle in gum) anaesthetic.
- Intravenous Sedation (IV) – This medication is taken via a needle in the arm or hand, again this is in an addition to local (needle in gum) anaesthetic.
Both these options allow the patient to be awake and able to communicate with the clinicians. The EvoSolutionTM is a precise and exacting process, where patient cooperation is essential for optimal precision implant placement, bite record taking and the prosthesis placement.
Both sedation options also create a amnesic effect where the patient may experience a partial or total loss of the procedure, even though they are awake and able to communicate.
We do not provide general anaesthetic for the EvoSolutionTM. General anaesthetic ceased to be administered in general practice back in 2001 following strict guidance from the Department of Health (2000 – A Conscious Decision). General anaesthetic can only be administered in a hospital setting.
Although we can reassure and talk you through every step of the process and have many years of experience in helping nervous patients through our procedure, EvoSolutionTM is not designed for people with severe dental phobias such as sever needle phobia (not needle anxiety), severe gag reflex (associated with taking moulds of the mouth). We understand that for certain patients a general anaesthetic is essential for them to ‘get through’ this procedure. There are clinics that perform procedures where general anaesthetic is used, but we do not.
Q: How long is the surgical phase (Reset Day) of the treatment?
A:
We call the surgical phase ‘Reset Day’. The surgical phase on your reset day involves removing any teeth and placing implants, takes approximately 2 hour per jaw (upper or lower). This is followed by 30 minutes of bite calculation and impression taking.
Q: Will my new teeth look and feel like natural teeth?
A: Over time, dental implants actually become part of your mouth because they bond to your jawbone like real teeth. You can work with our expert dental technicians to perfect the shape, colour and size of your teeth so that they look completely natural.
Our prostheses are designed to complement the individual’s facial anatomy. Bright white teeth, for example, would most probably just look false.
You want a result where people will talk to your face, not to your teeth.
Your new teeth look and feel like natural teeth, they will also function like healthy teeth. You’ll be able to eat whatever sensible foods you wish, with total confidence.
Q: How do you ensure that my bite is correct after I get my bridges?
A: Historically, the field of occlusion (the bite) in dentistry has been dominated by subjective analysis and ‘patient feel’ to diagnose and treat problems related to the bite.
Articulating paper is an occlusal indicator that only shows points of contact between teeth. However, paper alone cannot provide data on the level of force and timing of when the teeth come together. At Evo we use Tekscan pressure mapping, force measurement & tactile sensors to gather digital bite force data, pinpoint occlusal interferences and quickly remove them with greater accuracy than ever before. This is critical in the long-term performance of your prosthesis and as such will be subject to ongoing checks at your all-essental Annual Maintenance appointments.
Q: What foods can I eat after surgery (Reset Day)?
A: Immediately after receiving your fixed teeth prosthesis, you can eat all foods you can cut easily with a fork. Chewing forces should be kept relatively gentle in the first 4 months following surgery to allow your jawbone to bond firmly with the implants.
Once we have done our final checks at 6 months after implant placement and we are sure your implants have fully integrated with your jawbone, you may move on to more adventurous foods like chewing steaks and biting apples! Our food recommendations for the first 4 months include fish, chicken, pasta, chips, mashed and boiled potatoes, and eggs. Your Evo team will give you specific instructions for your case.
Q: What if I have a problem?
A: Evo has treated thousands of patients and due to the nature of our exacting and predictable procedures, serious issues are extremely rare.
However, you can rest assured that we are here for you. If you have any problems, contact us and we will be only too happy to help and reassure you.
Your health, well-being and overall satisfaction are our number one priority. That is why we have thousands of happy patients.
Q: Does Evo offer Finance for the EvoSolution™? Are there any payment plans available?
A: Yes, we do offer very competitive payment plans.
Our Finance page has more information and examples of monthly payment options available.
Q: What forms of payment does Evo accept?
A: Debit/Credit card, bank cheque, bank transfer, third-party financing (prior to surgery).
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