Dental implants are suggested for patients when missing or have multiple teeth. Implants are stable and last longer than other alternatives because they are secured to the jawbone with a titanium post. However, receiving dental implants can take longer than other options like bridges. Surgical procedures are needed to insert and secure the screw-shaped titanium plate to your jawbone, providing a stable foundation for the artificial tooth and your overall smile. The time per dental implant varies depending on the patient’s dental history and needs; on average dental implants can take 10 to 48 months since they will need to heal between appointments.
Lessard Dental Clinic Step-by-Step Dental Implant Process
At your first consultation with our dentist in West Edmonton, they will understand your dental needs and advise the best course of action to achieve your dental aesthetic goals. Your dentist will determine if you are a candidate for a dental implant; this involves a series of oral exams, scans, and X-rays.
Acquiring even a single dental implant may not be the best case for everyone. If the implant replaces a damaged or decayed tooth, our dentist in West Edmonton will need to perform a tooth extraction treatment to clear the area for a healthy artificial tooth. Tooth extraction can slow the dental implant process by one or two weeks as the site in your mouth will need to recover before the implant screw and connecting abutment can be inserted.
If the patient does not have a rich density in their jawbone to support an implant, a bone graft will be performed by a dentist near you to secure the foundations of dental implant treatment. A bone graft can also increase the dental implant processing time by up to 12 months.
Most dental implant candidates who do not need a tooth extraction or bone graft will receive their implant placement, also known as a root implant, after their first consultation. A titanium screw-like rod is inserted into the exposed gum and the jawbone. The root implant acts as a stable base for the artificial tooth. The time of this procedure will depend on the number of root implants to be allocated; typically, it may take up to two hours. You’ll be given local anesthesia so you don’t experience any pain while your dentist works.
After the root implant treatment, a healing period of up to six months will follow; this is required as part of the dental implant treatment since the bone and the implant needs to merge to create greater stability for your smile. This process is known as osseointegration.
Once your dentist examines and determines that the surgical areas are ready for the next step, an abutment will be placed as part of your dental implant. The abutment will be responsible for maintaining the artificial teeth in place. The healing period of an abutment placement is two weeks.
Once the healing time has passed, our West Edmonton dentist will take a scan of your mouth and teeth to custom-make the artificial teeth, otherwise known as crowns. The elaboration of the crowns can take up to six weeks, so temporary crowns are placed in the meantime.
After the healing process of the root implant, abutment placement and elaboration of the crown have passed, our Lessard dentist will allocate the permanent crowns to the implant. By following the instructions of your dentist and your daily oral hygiene, your dental implants may last for a lifetime.
Call us today to book your consultation for dental implants in West Edmonton.