Dental News

What to Expect When Getting Dental Implants

June 23, 2015

5 steps to beautiful replacement teeth.

What to Expect When Getting Dental ImplantsIf you are missing one or more teeth, you have likely found yourself facing challenges with your appearance, with your ability to chew, and perhaps even with your pronunciation. There may also be additional problems such as bone loss in the jaw going on without you even realizing it.

The good news is:

Dental implants can replace the entire functionality of your missing teeth, both above and below the gum line, for a beautiful, functional, and healthy restoration.

All it takes is the following 5 steps.

Initial Consultation

The first step required to get dental implants is a consultation with a skilled implant dentist from California Dental Group. Your dentist will carefully evaluate your oral health and your overall health to determine if you are a good candidate for dental implants. The most important factor will be ensuring that your overall oral health is good and you have adequate available bone to hold the implant pegs.

Preparing for Surgery

Depending on your oral health and habits, you may need to take some time to prepare for your dental implant surgery. For example, if you lack healthy bone mass in the jaw, you may need a bone graft prior to your implant surgery. A more common scenario might be for you to wait to get a gum disease infection under control before surgery or to quit smoking before surgery, as nicotine will inhibit your recovery.

Implant Surgery

Depending on the complexity of the procedure, your implant may be placed by your dentist or by an oral surgeon specializing in dental implants. The actual surgery includes 5 steps:

  • Anesthesia
  • Cutting open the gums
  • Drilling the hole for the implant
  • Fitting the metal implant peg into the hole in the bone
  • Replacing the gum over the implant

Healing

Though it is possible to place the implant peg and the replacement tooth on the same day, most dentists agree that it is actually best to wait for the bone to heal. After all, the most unique benefit of dental implants is that your bone will actually bond with the titanium implant peg in a process called osseointegration. This ensures a strong foundation for your implant and decreases the risk of complications. So, instead of having the permanent crown, bridge, or denture placed after surgery, you will receive a temporary bridge or denture.

Placement of Final Restoration

Once your implant has healed, you will be fitted with your final restoration. This will require cutting open the gums to expose the top of the implant and adding an attachment that will hold the restoration. Crowns and bridges will be placed permanently, while implant-supported dentures will be removable.

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