A Brief Guide of the Procedure for Dental Implants Placement
Suppose you consider replacing your missing teeth with dental implants to receive natural-looking and functioning artificial teeth secured by artificial tooth roots made from titanium. In that case, you must prepare yourself for an intensive procedure. The dentist in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, briefs you on the entire process during your consultation with them to replace your missing teeth.
The dental implants procedure requires a few months to complete and may seem daunting to you. However, if you are determined to have natural-looking and functioning artificial teeth, the eventual results of implant placement are indeed worthwhile.
If you consider dental implant surgery, you may want to have information that helps to prepare yourself for the procedure. This article provides some essential information you must keep in mind.
The Costs of Implant Placement
When you consider implant placements, it helps if you remember prices can fluctuate depending on the implant you are receiving. The surgery you undergo from the implant dentist is not inexpensive, and medical insurance may not be an option for coverage. You can discuss payment plans with the implantologist and ensure you have the information beforehand before committing yourself to the process.
Prepare Yourself for Multiple Appointments with the Implantologist
Do not expect completion of the implant placement surgery in one visit to the implantologist. Any professional offering your new teeth in a single appointment with dental implants isn’t providing accurate information.
Techniques allowing tooth extractions and replacement in a single appointment are undoubtedly available, but the procedure remains incomplete until the jawbone fuses with the implant. The fusing of the jawbone called osseointegration requires several months to create your artificial tooth roots. You can have your ceramic crowns over the implant placed to create your new perfect smile.
You must also follow the after-care instructions of the dentist to ensure you allow osseointegration to proceed unhindered. Allow osseointegration to fail, and the time required to get new teeth extends further.
During your first appointment with the dentist for dental implant placement, the professional decides whether your jawbone structure is durable to receive the implant. If your jawbone structure isn’t strong enough, you require bone grafting before you can have the tooth implant. Bone grafting helps strengthen your jawbone but also adds additional healing time before dental implant surgery.
The Surgical Procedure for Dental Implants
The dental implant surgical procedure is completed in one visit to the dentist’s office, allowing you to return home the same day. If you are fearful of dental procedures, discuss the issue with the dentist to ensure they provide adequate anesthesia for your comfort.
The implantologist cuts open your gums and drills your jawbone to place the titanium post deep into it. The titanium post is bio compatible and integrates with your jawbone in a few months to function as your artificial tooth root. The professional may also place an abutment over the implant to support your artificial tooth eventually. However, many dentists prefer placing the abutment after osseointegration is complete. You must undergo another surgery for abutment placement in such cases, requiring some more time to heal.
Having the implant in your jawbone doesn’t mean you have an artificial tooth. The surgery merely creates a stable supporting base for your artificial tooth, customized specifically for you after abutment placement. The dentist takes impressions of your teeth and mouth to have your new ceramic tooth created in a dental laboratory. You may have to wait for a couple of weeks until the dental lab returns your ceramic tooth, after which you must schedule another appointment with the dentist.
During your appointment to have your artificial tooth, the implant dentist initially checks the tooth for fit and color to ensure it matches your natural teeth. If all things are good artificial tooth is screwed over the abutment giving you back your missing teeth. You will express joy looking at yourself in the mirror, thinking you never again need to hide your smile and the problem of cavities isn’t ever going to concern you.
The lifespan of Dental Implants
If properly cared for, dental implants last for a lifetime. Do not think the lack of cavities bothering you gives you the freedom to neglect dental hygiene. The bacteria in your mouth cannot penetrate the ceramic crown, but you remain vulnerable to gum disease if you allow plaque buildup on your teeth. Remember, the implant is inserted deep into your gums and jawbone. Allow gum disease to affect you if you are interested in going through the entire dental implant procedure all over again.
Take care to brush and floss your teeth as recommended by the dentist, and schedule appointments with them for exams and cleanings if you wish to maintain your artificial teeth for your lifetime.