Dental Implants Procedure

How Long Does A Dental Implant Procedure Take?

To mimic the natural tooth, the dental implant fuses directly to your jawbone to become a unit with your jawbone structure. More so, a dental implant helps to prevent your jawbone from disintegrating, which would otherwise happen once your tooth is removed.

There are various steps involved in the dental implant process. And each step is essential to the long-term success of your dental implant procedure and replacement tooth. Listed below are the necessary steps involved in the dental implant process:

Initial Consultation Appointment

Are you interested in Dental implants procedure in Houston? The first thing you need to do is to schedule an appointment with your dentist to find out more about dental implants. Your dentist would explain some specific dental implant-related issues to you. Your dentist would also perform dental examinations to determine whether your dental and general medical health makes you eligible for the dental implant process.

This includes checking if you have enough bone available in the area where the tooth is missing to support the dental implant. If you have sufficient bone, you can proceed to the next step. Otherwise, you may need to undergo bone regeneration or bone grafting to restore the bone to the affected area.

After certifying that you are an eligible candidate for implant dentistry, but your dentist is not trained to insert a dental implant, you would be referred to another dentist who can handle the implant. The final replacement tooth would be placed on the implant by your dentist.

Your dentist may also schedule a diagnostic appointment to determine the precise measurements and type of dental implant material suitable for you. The further tooth implant process involves 2 major surgical procedures about 4 to 6 months apart.

First Dental Implant Stage

At this stage, your dentist will surgically insert the implant post into your jawbone at the site where the tooth is missing. After insertion, the site is sutured, though the sutures would be removed after about 10 days. Normally, your dentist would place you under local anesthesia during this stage to reduce the pain.

Your dentist would allow sufficient time for osseointegration and recovery, which may take several months. During this healing time, the implant post will fully fuse with your jawbone as your bone cells grow around the implant post. This recovery period is crucial in the dental implant process, so the dental implant would be firm enough to support the final dental restoration.

Second Dental Implant Stage

By now, the implant post should be fully integrated into the jawbone and the site healed. However, your dentist should reassess and evaluate the site to ascertain whether the implant post has actually fused fully with the jawbone. If the osseointegration is successful, then the other part of the implant – the abutment – is attached to the implant post. Your dentist would have to make an incision on the gum where the implant post was inserted to expose the top. After attachment, the abutment will extend above the gum line and an impression would be taken again to create your bespoke dental crown. A temporary crown may be attached prior to the creation of the permanent crown.

Third Second Dental Implant Stage

Once your permanent crown is created, your dentist will remove the temporary crown and attach the permanent crown to the abutment permanently. The permanent crown can either be attached by screwing or by cementing. Though the cementing option is better and lasts longer, screwing the crown allows your dentist to remove, clean, and re-attach the crown easily.

Those are the three main stages involved in the tooth implant process in Houston. To learn more about dental implants procedure, visit VIP Dental Implants Clinic or schedule a meeting with a dental implant specialist in Houston.