Dental implants are the sturdiest and most aesthetic option for replacing missing teeth. To ensure successful integration, your dentist will follow a rigorous set of procedures. While sometimes the implant process can be condensed, it often involves separate procedures to install each part of the restoration with time between to allow the implant site to heal and fuse with the implant. If you are receiving dental implants, here is what you can expect.
Planning Your Tooth Restoration
What type of implant do you need? How long will the installation process take? What preparatory work needs to be done first? This all depend on your individual case. At your first consultation, we will examine your teeth, your bone structure, your gum health and talk to you about your priorities. Then we can let you know if gum or bone grafting is necessary, which steps we can combine to hasten the process, and discuss what type of restoration will be best – a crown, a bridge, or full dentures. Then we can start planning the individual appointments.
Preparing The Implant Site
Tooth loss is often due to infection, which has weakened or diminished the surrounding bone and gums. But these structures are just as necessary to support a dental implant as they were for your natural teeth. If you are suffering from bone loss or gum recession, these issues will have to be treated before you can qualify for an implant. Any remaining gum disease will be treated and the gums will be allowed to heal. If necessary, you may receive bone grafts or gum grafts to strengthen and rebuild the site, a process which requires weeks or months of healing. Once your mouth’s supporting structures are healthy, they will be ready to support an implant. Again, it may be possible to combine gum grafts with implant installation.
Dental Implant Installation
Step one: implant placement
The actual implant is a titanium screw-like structure built to serve as the root of your prosthetic tooth or teeth. This will integrate with your jawbone and become a firm anchor for your restoration. This portion is usually allowed to heal and integrate with the bone for several months before anything is attached to it, although often we can provide a temporary restoration while it heals.
Step two: the abutment
When the implant successfully integrates, the next part to be attached is the abutment, the portion of the dental implant that will protrude over your gumline and attach to a crown or denture. Your implant will likely be covered with a temporary prosthesis while the gums are allowed to heal around the abutment and a permanent crown is made. In the meantime, we’ll take an impression of your mouth to create your permanent prosthetic teeth. This step generally takes a few weeks.
Step three: Prosthetic placement
Finally, the crown, bridge, or denture that has been custom built for you can be fixed to the abutment, restoring your smile to its full health and beauty.
Are Dental Implants Right For You?
Although this process is long, it is well worth it in terms of both aesthetics and your long-term health and lifestyle. Not only does a dental implant look and function like a natural tooth, it helps to preserve the bone and gums that would otherwise continue to deteriorate, jeopardizing other teeth. Dental implants are the best option for preserving your dental health after tooth loss, and with proper care, they will last you a lifetime. Contact CITIDental High Street to schedule a consultation with one of Boston’s most experienced implant dentists and begin the process of restoring your smile.