Dental Implant Placement Procedure
Dental Implants are a new alternative in tooth replacement. The procedure consists of two stages: placement of a replacement tooth root at your dental specialist's office, followed by placement of a tooth replacement (crown) at our office.
There are now a wide variety of dental implant placement procedures that vary in duration and materials. Any implant procedure is preceded by a detailed consultation and case planning with your dental team.
Duration of the Procedure
The duration of the procedure is highly variable, largely because healing is often required in between steps of the procedure.
In some cases, when there is abundant jawbone tissue and the patient is in good health, some specialists offer "immediate loading". In this single-day procedure, the implant and crown are placed simultaneously.
More commonly, the crown is fitted several months after implant placement, allowing the implant time to fuse with the jawbone. In cases involving bone grafting, the graft must first heal for several months before the implant can be placed. The implant must then integrate into the bone for several months before the crown can be adhered to the implant.
General Implant Placement Procedure
While there is some variation in procedure, the following outlines the basic steps required for dental implant placement.
The first portion of the procedure is done at your specialist's office. The gum covering the area is gently folded back and the underlying bone prepared to receive the implant. The extent of the bone preparation is dependent on the number of implants required. The implant(s) are then placed, and the gum sutured. The implant should fully integrate into the bone after 3 to 6 months.
At this point, a custom-designed crown is fitted over the post. The details of the procedure change slightly with the structure of the implant used.
