Do you have a missing tooth or teeth but feel that dentures or a bridge are inconvenient or embarrassing? For more and more patients, dental implants are the answer. Dental implants are surging in popularity as Americans seek a more permanent alternative to dentures and bridges.
Quality of life is the number one reason patients choose implants. They’re not removable like dentures and bridges and often last a lifetime.
Previously, the solution for missing teeth was usually removable dentures or a bridge. Now, more and more patients are choosing implants. The implant procedure involves replacing your tooth root with a titanium screw and installing a crown on top. The first step is extracting the existing tooth and root. Your dentist drills into your jawbone and places the titanium implant in place. There’s a months-long healing process as the jawbone grows around the new artificial “root” known as osseointegration. Most patients wear a temporary “flipper” while the integration happens.
After the implant has been integrated into the jawbone, your dentist adds the top of the implant above the gumline (known as the abutment), which will attach to the crown. This requires additional healing time for your gums–usually a month or six weeks. Then, your dentist or oral surgeon completes the process with a crown made to match your existing teeth.
Getting a dental implant is an oral surgery that often takes several months or more to heal completely. It can take up to a year to replace more than one tooth. The process requires several procedures at your family dentist’s office or with an oral surgeon.
After your initial surgery, there’s an initial healing process for your gums that lasts around two weeks. Antibiotics are usually prescribed as you heal.
Your implant integrates with your jawbone in the months after your surgery. This usually takes three to six months. Once your osseointegration is successful, you’ll return for the abutment, the top part of the implant, which is like a tiny screw above the gumline. Your gums take another month or six weeks of healing time after the abutment is in place. Finally, you’ll head back for the final step: the crown.
Many patients need an additional step if the jawbone isn’t dense enough or if the tooth has been missing for a more extended period of time. In this case, your dentist will add a bone graft to anchor the implant. Don’t worry–it’s not as big a deal as it sounds. Your dentist adds a powdered bone material to the implant site that needs to harden and heal so your implant has a solid foundation. The graft site usually takes two or three weeks to heal and two or three months to harden, laying the groundwork for a successful implant.
Several factors can impact the overall timeline and healing time for your implants.
Getting dental implants is a multistage process that can take six months or more to heal completely. Your family dentist can help you determine whether implants are a good option and can often complete the procedure in their office. More and more family dentists are trained to successfully perform implant surgery, from the extraction to the implant to the crown. Your dentist may also recommend a custom night guard to protect your implant and crown from nighttime grinding. In some complex cases, your dentist may refer you to an oral surgeon for the implant–and then have you return to their office for your crown to complete the restoration.
At Greenhill Family Dental Care, helping patients maintain quality of life is one of our top priorities. At our practice, this means performing dental implant procedures to help patients avoid dentures and bridges. Our doctors are fully trained in dental implant surgery as one more way of helping patients achieve a smile they’re proud of. Dental implants can help preserve your quality of life functionally and aesthetically. At Greenhill, we look forward to helping you determine the best options.
