The number of people getting dental implants keeps getting higher every year. This increase can be attributed to recent technological advancements in dental implants. Currently, a dental implant procedure is one of the safest and most effective tooth restoration options you can get.
If you plan to get dental implants soon, this article will provide you with all the necessary information concerning the procedure and what to expect.
Purpose of a Dental Implant
Dental implants are an effective and popular method of replacing missing teeth. They function as artificial tooth roots that can support dental bridges and replacement teeth when fitted to your jaws. Consider getting a dental implant if you recently lost one or several teeth due to periodontal disease, injury, or other causes.
You also don’t need to worry about the attention and looks you’ll get from having dental implants; the dental device was designed to blend in with natural teeth, making them easy to conceal.
What to Expect During the Procedure?
Once you have made up your mind and opted for a dental implant, the next thing you may want to know is how your dentist will install the device. We have divided the installation procedure into stages for easier understanding:
- Tooth Extraction
If your severely damaged tooth is still intact, the first thing we’ll do is to remove it. We’ll use local anesthesia to numb the area before pulling or surgically extracting the tooth. To save time, your dentist may recommend doing the dental extraction while fitting you with dental implants.
- Bone Graft
This process may not be necessary for every patient planning to get dental implants. A bone graft is a procedure carried out to strengthen the jawbones so they can easily support the dental implants.
Your dentist may take a bone from somewhere else or use a synthetic bone graft material to prepare your jawbone for grafting. Once complete, you’ll need to wait for at least four months for your wounds to heal before your dentist can proceed to fit you with dental implants. However, for a minor bone graft, a highly skilled and experienced dentist may be able to fit the implant immediately after giving you a bone graft.
- Placing of Dental Implants
This is now the stage where the dental implants will be put in. Your dentist will cut into your gums, use a special drilling tool to drill into your jawbone tissue, and place a titanium rod beneath the gums to serve as artificial tooth roots. You will need to wait another 4 to 6 months for osseointegration to occur, ensuring the dental implant fuses with the jawbone.
- Installing the Healing Caps
A healing cap, also known as a gingival former, is a small rounded tool that attaches to a dental implant. This tool serves as a metallic collar that guides the soft and hard gum tissues to heal around the dental implants. If fitted properly, often at the top of the implant, the healing caps can protect the primary parts of the implant from the accumulation of plaque and other debris.
- Fitting an Abutment and Temporary Crowns
Once the tissue surrounding the cap heals, your dentist will remove it and replace it with an implant abutment. We will crew the abutment onto the implant and add a temporary crown on top. This is meant to allow the gums to properly heal and thus will only stay in place for 4 to 6 weeks before we replace them with permanent crowns.
Permanent Crown Placement
You don’t have to worry about waiting for additional weeks or months for your permanent crowns to be ready because we will prepare them while you are still wearing the temporary ones. Then, your dentist will cement or screw your crowns to the abutments in your implants.
Cemented crowns will look better since they won’t use any screw holes and are thus easier to conceal. Alternatively, patients with crowns screwed into their implants will be at an advantage because it would be easier to remove when access to surrounding tissue is required.
How Painful Is a Dental Implant?
Getting dental implants is not painful despite there being a series of steps and procedures before installation is complete. While you are still at the dentist’s office in Calumet City, your dentist will use local anesthesia to ease any pain that you might have ended up experiencing during surgery.
You’ll likely experience swelling and soreness once we are done fitting you with implants, but this is normal and will wear off as you heal. In addition, we will give you painkillers to make your healing journey much more comfortable.
Conclusion
Dental implants are a reliable tooth replacement option that will last a very long period, guaranteed you had them fitted by an experienced and highly skilled dentist.
If you plan to get dental implants in the future, we recommend you visit Family Dental Care – Calumet City for the best dental services near you. We offer affordable dental services and accept many payment methods, including dental insurance.
