- 24-26 Station Street, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottingham, NG17 7AS
- 146 Melton Road, Leicester LE4 5EE
Zirconia Dental Implants in Leicester — Metal-Free Tooth Replacement
A grey line at the gum. A metal taste you cannot place. Or simply not wanting titanium in your jaw.
Zirconia implants are white ceramic from post to crown. No metal, no grey shadow through thin gum, and a surface that plaque struggles to hold onto.
From £2,750 per zirconia implant and crown, or £12,000 for a full zirconia arch. Dr Azeem Mirza scans first and tells you honestly whether ceramic or titanium is the better choice for your case.
✓ 100% metal-free ceramic · ✓ Free 3D CT scan · ✓ Ideal for front teeth · ✓ Low plaque affinity · ✓ 5-year warranty
What Are Zirconia Implants?
Zirconia (zirconium dioxide) is a high-strength white ceramic used in medicine for hip components and in dentistry for crowns and bridges. A zirconia implant replaces the titanium post with the same ceramic, so the entire tooth — root and crown — contains no metal at all.
Most zirconia implants are one-piece: post and abutment are milled as a single unit, which removes the micro-gap where bacteria collect on two-piece titanium systems. The material is ivory-white, so even where gum tissue is thin or recedes slightly with age, no grey shows through.
Zirconia is stiffer and less forgiving than titanium. It cannot be angled or adjusted the way a titanium fixture can, which is why case selection and CT planning matter more, not less.
- ✓ A visible front tooth where a grey gum line would show
- ✓ Thin or translucent gum tissue (a thin biotype)
- ✓ A preference for metal-free dentistry
- ✓ Reported sensitivity or reactivity to metals
- ✓ Patients who clean well and want the lowest plaque-retaining surface
Zirconia or Titanium — an Honest Answer
Titanium has fifty years of survival data and remains the workhorse of implant dentistry. Zirconia has a shorter record, but modern one-piece ceramic systems now show survival rates in the high nineties at five years.
Where zirconia wins is aesthetics and soft tissue. Gum tissue sits tightly against ceramic, the material stays warm-toned under thin gum, and there is no risk of a grey shadow ten years from now.
Where titanium wins is flexibility. If your bone is limited, angled placement is needed, or the case requires a two-stage screw-retained bridge, titanium is usually the safer engineering choice. We will tell you which applies to you after the scan — not before.
How Treatment Works — Step by Step
1. Free consultation and 3D CT scan
We photograph, examine and take a low-dose CT scan of your jaw. Bone width matters more for zirconia because ceramic fixtures come in fewer diameters. There is no charge and no obligation.
2. Digital planning
Your scan is merged with an intraoral scan so the implant position is planned to the millimetre against the final tooth shape. You see the plan and the fixed price in writing before anything is booked.
3. Placement under local anaesthetic
The implant is placed through a guided surgical stent, usually in under an hour per implant. Sedation is available. Most patients take paracetamol for a day or two and return to work the next morning.
4. Healing and integration
Bone bonds to the ceramic surface over three to six months. A temporary tooth is worn throughout — you are never left with a visible gap.
5. Final ceramic crown or bridge
A digital scan is taken and your final zirconia crown or bridge is milled and shade-matched to the teeth either side, then fitted and checked in the bite.
6. Reviews and 5-year warranty
Reviews at one week, three months and annually thereafter, plus hygienist appointments to keep the tissue around the implant healthy.
Zirconia Implants Prices in Leicester
Fixed prices, quoted in writing before you commit. Every plan includes the CT scan, planning, surgery, all review appointments and a 5-year warranty.
| Treatment | Price |
|---|---|
| Single zirconia implant and crown | From £2,750 |
| Two zirconia implants and crowns | From £5,400 |
| Zirconia implant bridge (3 units on 2 implants) | From £6,500 |
| Full arch zirconia bridge | £12,000 |
| Both arches, full zirconia | £23,000 |
| Bone graft, if the scan shows it is needed | From £600 |
| 3D CT scan and consultation | Free |
0% finance over 12 months and low-rate lending over 2–5 years are available on treatments over £500, subject to status.
Zirconia Implants Compared With the Alternatives
| Zirconia implant | Titanium implant | Bridge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metal content | None | Titanium alloy | Metal substructure common |
| Grey gum line risk | None | Possible with thin gum | Possible |
| Adjacent teeth drilled | No | No | Yes — two healthy teeth |
| Long-term evidence | Good, shorter record | 50+ years | Well documented |
| Typical lifespan | 20+ years | 20+ years | 10–15 years |
| From | £2,750 | £1,994 | £1,200 |
Why Patients Choose WantTeeth in Leicester
- ✓ Free 3D CT scan and written fixed-price plan before you commit
- ✓ One clinician from scan to final tooth — Dr Azeem Mirza, GDC No. 264265
- ✓ Guided surgery from a digital plan, not freehand placement
- ✓ Both ceramic and titanium systems in-house, so the recommendation is clinical, not stock-driven
- ✓ 5-year warranty and lifetime hygiene support
- ✓ 0% finance available on qualifying treatment
Who Will Treat You
Every implant case at our Leicester implant clinic in the city centre is planned and placed by Dr Azeem Mirza (GDC No. 264265), who has placed implants for over a decade and restores complex full-arch and aesthetic-zone cases weekly.
You see the same clinician from your first scan through to the day your final teeth are fitted — no handovers, no treatment coordinator selling you a plan you have not discussed with the person holding the drill.
0800 995 6038 · Close to the ring road with on-site patient parking.
Zirconia Implants Questions, Answered
Zirconia is extremely hard and has high compressive strength, comfortably handling normal chewing forces. It is more brittle than titanium under sharp lateral loads, which is why we assess your bite and check for grinding before recommending ceramic.
No. The post is white, the crown is shade-matched to your natural teeth, and the gum contour is shaped during healing. Zirconia is the material of choice specifically for front teeth for this reason.
Sometimes, with a night guard. Heavy bruxism puts lateral stress on ceramic and in those cases we usually recommend titanium. We check for wear facets and jaw muscle tenderness at the consultation.
Studies consistently show less plaque accumulation and less soft-tissue inflammation around zirconia than titanium. One-piece designs also remove the implant–abutment micro-gap where bacteria collect.
With good hygiene and regular reviews, 20 years or more. The crown may need replacing after 10–20 years of normal wear; the implant itself is intended to be permanent.
It is done under local anaesthetic, so you feel pressure but not pain. Soreness settles in two to five days. Sedation is available if you are anxious.
No. Implants are private treatment in almost all cases. 0% finance over 12 months spreads the cost.
Serving Leicester and the Surrounding Area
Patients travel to our Leicester implant clinic in the city centre from Leicester, Oadby, Wigston, Loughborough, Hinckley and Market Harborough. Close to the ring road with on-site patient parking.
Also available in Nottingham: Zirconia Implants in Nottingham.
Book Your Free Leicester Consultation
Free 3D CT scan · Written fixed-price plan · 0% finance · 5-year warranty
Or call 0800 995 6038 — Our leicester implant clinic in the city centre