What is the Procedure for Dental Implants?

A dental implant is a dental device that is used to restore missing teeth. It is one of the latest technologies in dentistry and promises the best results for durability, biocompatibility and esthetics. If you’re planning on getting a dental implant, here are the different procedures you can expect. 1. Examination When you first visit a dentist for a consultation regarding dental implants, the dentist will thoroughly examine your teeth and gums. X-rays and other imaging tests such as dental CT scan are needed to ensure that your gums are ready for the procedure. If your dental health is found to be unfit for implantation or your immune system is compromised, you may not be qualified for the procedure. However, if you have a good amount of healthy gum tissue and are perfectly healthy, your dentist will proceed with the planning stage. 2. Treatment planning Planning involves identifying the best way to process with your treatment. If you currently have teeth that are no longer worth keeping because of the amount of decayed tooth material, your dentist will recommend extraction and restoration with a dental implant. If you have multiple missing teeth, your dentist will decide how to go about with the procedure. Other factors that need to be considered in the treatment planning stage are your schedule, your dentist’s schedule, your budget, the end results, and the dentist’s capability in implantation. 3. Implantation of titanium post Once a treatment plan has been finalized, you will be required to come in for the actual implantation process. Implants will be buried in your gums and covered up with gum tissue. Even if teeth need to be extracted, the implants can be buried into your gums right after extraction. The burying process requires a hole that will be drilled into the gums by your dentist. A local anesthetic will be applied and sedation dentistry also is an option for problematic patients. For single tooth implants, each tooth requires one implant. If you need multiple teeth implants that are adjacent to each other, you can get two implants to support a bridge of up to five teeth. A full mouth restoration will need five to six implants for each dental arch. 4. Mid-treatment healing process After the titanium implants have been buried in your gums, you will be sent home to allow your gums to heal. This will require two to six months for the gums to bond with the titanium, known as osseointegration. The gum tissue wraps around the implant thread, creating a grip that is almost irremovable. This strengthens the implants and makes them stable, permanent, and esthetically appealing. 5. Installation of abutment After the gum bonding process is done, you will be required to come in for the installation of the abutment. The abutment is a small piece of metal which will be attached onto the end of your implant to hold the crown in place. When installing the abutment, your gums will be cut again to expose the covered implants. Anesthesia will again be used during this procedure. After all of the abutments are installed, you will again be asked to wait another few weeks for the gums to heal. A temporary crown will be placed on top of each abutment to cover up the protruding metal piece. 6. Creation of crown While you’re letting your gums heal after the abutment installation, your dental restorations will be manufactured in a dental laboratory. The crowns will be formed after an impression of your teeth to make them fit perfectly. Sometimes, dentists use the actual extracted tooth as the mold of the restoration to achieve an exact copy of the old tooth. This can take one to two weeks to be completed. Using the Internet, you can find the suitable dental implants with dentist in anchorage ak for you. 7. Final installation of dental restoration Once the final restorations have arrived at your dentist’s clinic, you will be asked to come for the final installation. The crowns will be cemented onto the abutments and finishing touches will be made. You may be asked to visit again a few times after the final installation for your dentist to see how your teeth and mouth are adapting to the new restorations. Finding a dentist to do dental implants isn’t hard, but getting the best one can be a challenge because different dentists have different techniques. Some are more experienced than others. You can also read reviews to know what other patients have to say about the dentist you are considering. The success of dental implants rely on the skill of your dentist, so it’s important to make a wise choice.