What is the Full Procedure of Dental Implants?

Charm Dental Care
April 11, 2023

Dental implants are dental restorations that help you feel self-confident about your smile. The dentist put these fake tooth roots surgically into the jawbone. After a few months, the jawbone near the implant holds the implant safely in its place. The procedure needs numerous steps over a timeline of 3-9 months.

Dental Implant Procedure

The implant procedure involves the following steps:

Comprehensive Dental Exam

The dental expert will take 3D images and use dental X-rays to create digital impressions of the patient’s mouth. He/she will also review the medical history. If you have any medicines that you take or underlying medical conditions, speak that to your doctor.

A comprehensive dental exam allows the professional to find whether the patient has a sufficient healthy jawbone to maintain the implant. If the expert has a jawbone too soft or thin, he/she will recommend bone grafting or another dental process necessary before the implant placement.

Treatment Plan

Depending on your case, the dentist in Spring will create a custom plan for you. It usually includes certain factors like your jawbone condition, leftover teeth, and the number of teeth you desire to replace. The implant planning process may incorporate multiple specialists. These include:

Prosthodontist.
Periodontist.
Oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
ENT specialist.

Implant surgery is an outpatient process. So to manage pain, the expert will use sedation, local anaesthesia, or general anaesthesia. Make sure you tell your specialist if you have any priority.

Implant Placement

For an endosteal dental implant, the dentist will perform the following steps:

The surgeon will cut the gums to get into the jawbone.
Then, he/she will use a dental drill and drill deep into the jawbone.
The professional might use a temporary removable denture and insert it in the hole till the permanent tooth bonds to the implant.

For a subperiosteal implant, the dentist does not need to use a dental drill. He/she will place the implant post on or above the jawbone. Regardless of the implant type you choose, it is common to feel discomfort after the surgical process. However, this is temporary.

Osseointegration

It will take nearly 2-6 months for a new bone to grow and bond around the screw. This process is called osseointegration. This step is highly beneficial because it helps the dental Implants in Spring, TX function like the fake tooth root.

Placement of Abutment

Now, the surgeon will add an abutment(a metal extender) to the dental implant. They help to connect the replacement tooth to the dental implant. The expert usually carries out the process under local anesthesia during a second minor or initial process.

If the professional places the metal extender during the second procedure, he/she will make an incision. This healing cap prevents the tissue from developing over the implant. Then, the dentist will eliminate the healing cap and screw the abutment onto the implant.

Tooth Placement

Finally, the dentist will take digital impressions of your teeth. It helps to create a perfect fit for your replacement tooth/teeth. If you choose the fixed tooth, the professional will screw or cement it permanently onto the abutment. However, for a removable tooth, he/she will put it onto a metal frame and bond it to the abutment.

What Are the Benefits and Risks of Dental Implants?

Although the success rate of dental implants is high, the process can fail sometimes. So like any surgical procedure, there are a few risks and complications associated with the implant procedure:

Complications

Individuals that opt for the implant process may experience the following complications during or afterwards:

Movement of Implant.
Infection.
Implant exposure above the gum lining.
Nerve Damage.

Risks

Before the treatment, the professional ensures careful planning to ensure the patient is healthy enough to undergo the surgical procedure. The common risks usually include: