What Is The Dental Implant Procedure Like?


A dental implant is the best way to permanently restore a missing tooth. Interested in an implant, but not sure what to expect from the procedure? Get all the details here.

 

The Implant Placement Procedure

Once you’ve been approved for a dental implant, your dentist will use images and x-rays of your mouth to build an implant placement plan. Then, you’ll come in for your first appointment.

Your mouth will be cleaned and numbed, and you can also be sedated, if you wish. Then, your dentist will make a small incision in the gums and jaw bone, where your implant will be placed. Next, the implant is placed precisely in this opening, based on the implant placement plan.

After the implant has been placed, the area will be cleaned and sutured shut. Then, you’ll be sent home to heal and recover.

 

Recovering And Building Your Implant-Supported Restoration

The initial healing process after dental implant placement will take about a week. After a week or so, you should no longer feel any pain or discomfort, and after two weeks, your mouth will likely feel completely normal. Most of our patients report some soreness the night after but the next day they don’t even notice it! Follow your dentist’s instructions for post-operative care.

However, your mouth must heal for 3-6 months before your permanent implant-supported restoration can be attached. This is because the titanium must bond permanently with your gums and jaw. This process, called “osseointegration” takes quite a while.

During this time, you may need to see your dentist a few times to have impressions of your teeth taken. These impressions will be used to create your restoration, such as a dental crown (false tooth).

 

Placing Your Restoration And Finishing The Implant

Once your mouth has healed, you’ll come in for the placement of your implant-supported restoration. You may need to come in for an appointment a week or two in advance to open up the gum tissue, expose the implant, and attach an “abutment.” This abutment is where your restoration will attach to the implant.

At your final appointment, your dentist will check your implant-supported restoration to make sure it fits. If everything looks good, it will be permanently attached to your implant, completing the procedure and restoring your smile.

 

Take The First Steps – Learn More About Implants Today!

Getting a dental implant takes several months and multiple appointments, but your implant will last 30+ years with proper care. So don’t wait. Take the first step, and contact an implant dentist such as Dr. Grey F. Kantor at Kantor Dental now.

 

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