Implant placement surgery is an operation in which metal roots replace tooth root posts that look like screws and replace damaged or missing teeth with fake teeth that look and work a lot like real ones. Dental implant surgery can be a good alternative to dentures or bridgework that don’t fit well. It can also be a good choice when there aren’t enough natural tooth roots to make dentures or bridgework.
How the surgery for a dental implant is done depends on the type of implant and the health of your jawbone. There may be more than one step to getting a dental implant. The main advantage of implants is that they give your new teeth solid support. However, the bone needs to heal tightly around the implant for this to happen. Since this bone needs time to heal, the process can take several months.
Why do they do it
Dental implants are artificial tooth roots put into your jawbone through surgery. So because titanium inside the implants bonds with your jawbone, they won’t slip, make noise, or damage your jawbones like fixed bridgework or dentures might. And the materials can’t get rotten like your teeth can if you have a regular bridge.
In general, you may want virginia dental implants if you:
- Have lost one or more teeth.
- Have a jawbone that has grown to its full size.
- Have enough bone to hold the implants in place, or they can get a bone graft.
- Have healthy gums and teeth.
- Don’t have any health problems that will stop your bones from healing.
- Cannot or Don’t Want to Wear Dentures
- Want to get better at talking?
- Are you willing to give the process a few months?
- Don’t use tobacco products.
Risks
Dental implant surgery has some health risks, just like any other surgery. But problems happen rarely; when they do, they are usually small and easy to fix. Some risks are:
- An infection at the site of the implant
- Injury or damage to nearby structures, like blood vessels or other teeth
- Nerve damage can hurt your teeth, gums, lips, or chin, making you feel tingly or numb.
When dental implants in the upper jaw stick out into one of your sinus cavities, they can cause sinus problems.
How do you get ready?
During the planning process for dental implants, some specialists may be involved, such as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, a periodontist, a prosthodontist, or an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist.
Because getting dental implants may require more than one surgery, you need a thorough evaluation to prepare for the process. This evaluation should include the following:
Comprehensive dental exam. You can get X-rays and 3D pictures of your teeth and jaw, and models can be made of your teeth and jaw.
Look at your health history. Tell your doctor about any health problems and any prescription or over-the-counter drugs or supplements you take. For example, if you have certain heart problems or orthopedic implants, your doctor may give you antibiotics before surgery to help prevent infection.
Treatment plan. This plan is for you and considers how many teeth you need to replace and how healthy your jawbone and other teeth are.
You can get local anesthesia, sedation, or general anesthesia to control pain during surgery. Talk to the dentist about which alternative would be best for you. Before the surgery, your dental care team might very well tell you what you are allowed and can’t eat and drink if you’re getting sedation or general anesthesia, plan to have someone drive you home after surgery and rest for the rest of the day.
What to look forward to
Most of the time, surgery to put in a dental implant can be done without putting the patient in the hospital. However, putting in a dental implant involves several steps, such as:
- Tooth extraction for damage
- When necessary, jaw bone preparation (grafting)
- Dental implant placement
- Bones grow and get better.
- Abutment placement
- Putting in a false tooth
The process can take many months, from the beginning to the end. Most of that time is spent getting better and waiting for new bone to grow in your jaw. However, some steps can sometimes be done simultaneously, depending on the situation, the procedure, or the materials.
- When bone grafts are necessary
- Jawbone graft
- An open pop-up dialogue box
Before getting a dental implant, you may need a bone graft if your jawbone isn’t thick enough or is too soft. Your strong chewing action puts a lot of pressure on your bone, and if it didn’t support the implant, the surgery probably wouldn’t work. A bone graft can also make the base for the implant stronger.
Different kinds of bone grafts can be used to rebuild a jawbone. For example, both possibilities are a natural bone graft, like one from another part of your body, or a synthetic bone graft, like bone-substitute material that can help the new bone growth
It could take a few months for the bone to grow enough new bone to hold a dentist after it has been transplanted. In some cases, you might only need a minuscule bit of bone grafting, which might be done simultaneously with the time of implant surgery. How you move forward depends on how your jawbone is.
Setting up the tooth implant
During the surgery to put the dental implant in place, your oral surgeon cuts your gum to open it up and show the bone. Next, holes are made in the bone where the metal post of the dental implant will go. Because the post will be the tooth’s root, it is put deep into the bone.
At this point, the space where your tooth used to be will still be there. For looks, a temporary partial denture can be put in place. You can take this denture out to clean it and sleep with it.
Waiting for bones to get bigger
Once the metal post of the implant is put into your jawbone, osseointegration (oss-ee-in-tuh-GRAY-shun) begins. During this time, the jawbone grows into the surface of the dental implant and joins with it. This process, which can take a few months, helps give your new fake tooth a strong base, just like your natural teeth roots.
Putting up the support
When osseointegration is done, you might need more surgery to put in the abutment, the part where the crown will eventually go. Most of the time, this minor surgery is done in an outpatient setting with only local anesthesia.
To put the abutment in place:
Your dentist cuts back your gum to reveal the dental implant.
The dental implant is connected to the abutment.
The gum is then closed around the abutment but not over it.
When the metal post of a dental implant is put in, the abutment is sometimes attached to it. So you won’t have to do an extra step in surgery. But because the abutment sticks out past the gumline, it can be seen when you open your mouth. This will be the case until your dentist finishes making the tooth prosthesis. Some people don’t like how that looks and would rather have the abutment put in at a different time.
After the abutment is put in, your gums need about two weeks to heal before the replacement tooth can be put in.
Picking out your new false teeth
Once your gums have healed, more molds of your mouth and teeth will be made. Your crown, which looks like a real tooth, is made from these impressions. Your chin must be sufficiently sturdy to hold up the new tooth before the crown can be put on.
You and your dentist can choose false teeth that are removable, fixed or a mix of the two:
Removable. This kind is like a regular removable denture and can be either partial or full. It has fake white teeth with pink plastic gum around them. It is attached to the implant abutment with a metal frame that snaps into place. It’s easy to take off, so it can be fixed or cleaned daily.
Fixed. A fake tooth is permanently screwed or glued onto an implant abutment in this type. You can’t take the tooth out to clean or sleep with it. Each crown is usually attached to its dental implant. But implants are so strong they can replace more than one tooth if bridged.
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