What is the Dental Implant Procedure?

A dental implant is a titanium post that an oral surgeon or a periodontist surgically places into your jawbone to act as the root of a tooth. Dental implants are incredibly Natural-looking and are a healthy and stable choice to replace missing teeth. The patient can receive a dental implant to replace one or multiple missing teeth. Here, we will review how dental implants are placed in the timeframe that you need to allow to complete treatment.

Dental Implant Procedure

If you are missing one more teeth, your dentist can determine if you are a candidate for dental implants using x-rays of the area. The x-rays will help your dentist see if you have enough viable bone structure to support a dental implant.

Implant placement is an invasive procedure so it is important to be healthy and to know what you are up against before you begin treatment. For your surgery, you will be under anesthesia so make sure your doctor has her complete, current medical history and knows all medications you are taking and that you have made necessary travel arrangements. The healing time for implants is extensive but they are one of the best choices for replacing missing teeth.

Sometimes, you may need preparatory surgeries such as a bone or gum graft which would have to be completed and healed before your implant could be placed. If you require a bone graft, it is usually done six months before your implant can be placed though sometimes an implant can be placed with the bone graft, your oral surgeon will be able to determine if you are a candidate for that method.

Once your implant is placed, you will have about six months of healing time before your implant crown can be placed. During this time, your implant will be integrating with your jawbone and there will be a healing cap over the implant to protect it. Your dentist can provide you with a temporary appliance, an essex or a flipper, which would give you the appearance of a tooth while you heal.

After you are fully healed in your implant as well integrated, your oral surgeon will release you from care and send you to your dentist for restoration. Your dentist will see you on two separate occasions. At your first appointment they will take impressions to be sent off to the lab so the lab can fabricate your new implant crown. At your second appointment, your implant crown will be placed and you will be good to go!

Implant Care and Maintenance

It is very important that you follow your postoperative instructions with your oral surgeon after your implant is placed. Your oral surgeon will have you come back to the office once a year so that they can check the integrity of the implant and make sure everything is as it should be.

Your dentist will also want to see you for a regular checkup twice a year just like normal and it is important that you let your dentist take x-rays at least once of year so they can have the information they need and can share it with your oral surgeon. This ensures that your implant is successful and that you do not run into any trouble in the future.

More on Dental Implants : Implants vs Bridges