How much time is required for a dental implant placement?
The length of time needed for your dental implant procedure depends on a variety of factors including your oral health, bone density and strength, number of teeth in need of placement, the location of the teeth to be replaced, and whether or not a tooth is already missing or will need to be extracted prior to your procedure.
Our same-day dental implant technique enables some patients to receive dental implants and permanent dental restorations in a single visit, while others require more time for bone grafting, extraction, or simply time to ensure the dental implant has sufficiently bonded with the jawbone and gum tissue.
Traditionally, dental implants require three to six months to heal in one’s mouth before custom restorations can be placed. In the interim, a temporary set of dentures or restorations can be used, and patients should experience no significant disruption in their daily lives.
What is the standard dental implant procedure?
First, we conduct an initial consultation where we will go over your dental history, oral health, and conduct a full oral exam, complete with a 3D CT scan, to help determine which dental implant options are available to you and map out the dental implant treatment plan that is best for your situation.
Once you are qualified as a candidate for dental implants, we will schedule your next visit with us for your implant placement. Typically, the procedure takes place in two visits, albeit with some exceptions.
During your clinical appointment, we place your dental implants, which are small biocompatible titanium posts, into your gums and jawbone. For same-day dental implant procedures, your custom dental restorations will be ready for you on the day of your implant surgery and can be connected to your dental implants immediately. Others, however, may require three to six months for the dental implants to gradually fuse with the jawbone before they are ready for the custom dental restorations to be placed. In this case, a temporary dental restoration may be put in place until your dental implants are strong enough to hold your permanent custom teeth.
On your next appointment, your dental implants will be uncovered and an abutment, a small titanium piece that connects your dental implant to your prosthetic teeth, will be placed, followed by the placement of your custom-designed dental restoration.
Once your dental implants and restoration are in place, you can enjoy all the benefits of a full, healthy set of beautiful teeth almost immediately. And with proper care, your dental implants can last a lifetime!
If you are in need of dental implants, contact our office to take the first step today!
