What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are designed to seamlessly and permanently replace missing teeth. Made of titanium, dental implants are essentially artificial roots and teeth affixed to your jawbone to keep the teeth adjacent to the missing tooth from shifting, resolve joint pain, improve your bite structure, speech, and chewing, and preserve your bone from resorption. When teeth are extracted, the bone that holds them can potentially resorb, so the sooner you can be assessed for a dental implant, the better your chances are to keep from losing bone.
Your initial evaluation with Dr. Samadian begins with a Cone Beam CT scan to measure your nerves, sinuses, bone density, bone width and height. Your scan results give Dr. Samadian the information he needs to determine if dental implants are a good solution for you as well as if you need a bone augmentation, sinus lift, or gum treatment.
How Long Does the Procedure Take?
It is possible your dental implant treatment plan may involve more than a single procedure before the process is complete. Once you’ve been evaluated, Dr. Samadian will build a treatment plan with you to complete your dental implantation. Your implant site may need to be prepared, which includes bone grafting. If a bone graft is necessary, that will be your first procedure. Bone grafting will take approximately 3-6 months to heal. This is more often in the case of teeth that have been missing for some time. Once the bone graft is healed, the site is ready for the dental implant.
If you don’t require a bone graft, or once your graft is healed, the titanium alloy root is implanted into the bone and allowed to heal. The procedure itself may take a few hours and requires an additional 3-6 months of healing where the root integrates with the bone. It is possible that the crown, the post for the final phase, can be placed at the same time.
Finally, your crown is placed on the artificial root and post to complete the dental implant process. An impression is taken of your teeth in order to create a new tooth to the correct size, shape, and coloring, matching the rest of your teeth. This process takes about 2 weeks, and your crown will then be fitted for dental implant completion.
What Results Can I Expect?
Dental implants function exactly like your natural teeth. You’ll care for them in the same way, with twice-daily brushing and flossing, along with routine cleanings and exams. There’s virtually no visible difference between the implant and the rest of your teeth. Your bite relationship is preserved, as is your jawbone. During your treatment plan, your gums will also be assessed for proper healing and health.