Missing teeth will not only throw your bite out of alignment, they also make you self-conscious about smiling. If this is the case for you and if a dentist recommends it after an examination, then artificial teeth may be attached to or near the jawbone with dental implants as a solution.
Dental implants are a type of tooth replacement that is implanted into the jawbone. The dental implant procedure allows bone around it to grow to hold the implant in place. The implant acts as an artificial tooth root. This artificial tooth root will hold the replacement bridge or tooth in place.
Different Types of Dental Implants
There are two types of dental implant procedure glen mills pa—endosteal (in the bone) and subperiosteal (on the bone).
Endosteal
Endosteal implants are the most common type of dental implant. They’re usually small screws and they can be made from body-safe materials such as titanium, which is what makes them popular amongst patients that have metal sensitivities or allergies.
The process begins with a surgical insertion deep into your jawbone where it takes up the place of tooth roots for anchoring one to several teeth on top of each other on just one single endosteal screw.
Subperiosteal
This type of implant is used when there’s not enough healthy jawbone available to support an endosteal implant. Subperiosteal implants are inserted under the gum but aren’t drilled into the jawbone, and they’re placed above or on the bone rather than in it.
Dental Implant Procedure Timeline
Dental implants are a relatively new alternative to traditional dental prosthetics, and they require the work of not one but many specialists.
From your general dentist who will make sure you are healthy enough for implant surgery in the first place all the way up to oral surgeons with experience inserting teeth into jaws, each specialist is involved during different phases of treatment that can last for many months.
Evaluation
The first step in dental implant procedure is determining whether your jawbone can support the procedure. If there isn’t enough bone, a graft or other treatment may be suggested before proceeding with an implant.
Periodontal disease cannot exist in the gums either; if it does, another course of action must be taken to ensure that you are healthy and ready for this type of surgical intervention.
Placing the Implant
When you need a new tooth or teeth, an implant procedure is often used. With the endosteal technique, your oral surgeon will cut open the gum to expose bone below and drill deep holes into it for where implants are inserted.
If needed, they can then place temporary dentures over these spaces until there’s enough time to attach a permanent one which attaches through screws onto its post like any other natural-looking dental prosthesis (or “false teeth).
If you have a subperiosteal implant, the procedure will be much less invasive. The doctor won’t have to drill into your jawbone and post the implant on or above it instead. Once done with the treatment, most people find that they can resume their daily activities within one day of getting the implants.
Osseointegration
The dental implant is placed in your mouth and it takes 2-6 months for the bone to grow around the screw. This process, osseointegration, means that the metal has been combined with new healthy tissue growth.
Placing the Abutment
The abutment is a metal extender that connects the implants to your natural teeth. An additional procedure under local anesthetic can be required if you need it before or after implant installation and connection with existing teeth, such as bridge pads for dental crowns.
Placing the Tooth
Once healing is complete, your dentist will take an impression of your teeth so that they can make a replacement tooth or set of teeth to fit. These are usually fixed and attached onto the abutment for extra stability but removable alternatives exist as well.
If you opt for one of these removables it will be mounted on some metal frame which attaches them securely in place until after removal at home where daily cleaning takes place when necessary.
