Implants are starting to become a trendy option for the replacement of teeth. Patients dealing with tooth loss learn that implants are the leading treatment for restoring function, maintaining the alignment of surrounding teeth and appearance.
What is the Implant Process?
Have you ever wondered how the implant process works? If you are missing teeth or a tooth, implants may be the right option for you!
If a tooth is present which is not restorable, the tooth will need to be removed and a socket preservation graft will be placed. A socket preservation graft allows the space where the tooth used to be to fill in with bone. This process takes approximately three months. If this is not done, the bone will resorb away, making it harder to place implants.Once we determine we have plenty of healthy bone, we place the implant and cover it under the gums and allow it to heal for 3-4 months. We will then take an x-ray to confirm it’s healed enough to begin restoring it. When talking about restoring the tooth, we will be placing a crown on top of the implant. Next, we will take impressions for the crown to be made. Impressions can take two months.
The whole implant process can take up to 10 months to be completed. Sometimes we can extract a tooth and place the implant in the same appointment. This process would be called an immediate implant. If we place an implant immediately, we will not have to do a socket preservation graft.
Dental Implants may be the right fit for you if:
- Have one or more missing teeth.
- Have a jawbone that’s reached total growth.
- Have adequate bone to secure the implants or are able to have a bone graft.
- Have healthy oral tissues.
- Don’t have health conditions that will affect bone healing.
- Are willing to commit several months to the process.
The advantages of Implants
- Stabilizes bite! Super important.
- It does not affect the teeth in front or behind the missing space.
- It can last a super long time if you take care of it.
- Very esthetic
- Brush and floss like regular teeth.
- Can use them for poorly fitting dentures to snap into.
We work closely with Midwest Implant Institute to expand our knowledge of the implant process! After reading this, if you are interested in implants, please contact any of our 4 locations to set up a consultation to determine if you are an implant candidate!