How Do Dental Implants Work? Stages and Timeline
No dental restoration or tooth replacement can beat having your natural teeth. Everyone desires that their pearly whites serve them for a lifetime. But as we all know, life has its bends and unexpected turns that can lead to tooth loss. It might be a cavity, gum disease, old age, or even an accident that might cause tooth loss.
However, you are lucky to be alive in this era, where living with missing teeth is no option since there is a fantastic tooth replacement, dental implants in Vancouver.
Even though nothing will ever compare to having natural teeth, surely dental implants are a close second. You will get a blend of functionality and aesthetics when you go for tooth implants. Let’s get acquainted with this awesome tooth replacement.
How Do Implants Work?
First, you must understand that dental implants near you are technically not tooth replacements but root replacements. They are referred to as root replacements because our implant dentist will surgically insert them into the jawbone to replace the root. Implants are designed to be nearly the same size as the roots.
After the implants are inserted in the jawbone, they will integrate or fuse with your jawbone. The technical term for fusion is osseointegration. Osseointegration is the most critical part of the procedure since it determines the success of the implant. The procedure is successful when the jawbone and the implant have become one.
When the implant is in place, it is an anchor for the tooth replacement. So, crowns, dentures, and bridges can be firmly secured on the implant, which makes them feel and look natural.
Every other tooth replacement option doesn’t give the anchorage that dental implants have and might shift in the mouth.
A typical dental implant has the following parts:
- Implant – these are the titanium posts that our implant dentist near you places in your jawbone.
- Abutment – this is the connector and links up the implant to the artificial tooth replacement.
- The prosthesis is an artificial tooth that can be a crown, denture, or dental bridge, which replaces the tooth’s visible part.
What Are the Stages of Dental Implants?
Even though implants are the best tooth replacement, they must be surgically inserted in the jawbone. Therefore, the procedure might take time and will be done in stages. Here are the stages:
Stage 1 – Evaluation and Preparation
Our dentist near East Vancouver will perform a thorough exam to ascertain whether your jawbone can accommodate a dental implant. Therefore, taking a digital x-ray will be essential to check the state of your jawbone. Also, taking dental impressions in this stage is critical since these impressions will be used to create your tooth replacement.
During this visit, you will also confirm the number of teeth that need to be replaced. You should plan with other specialists if you have other unresolved issues.
Our dentist also gets to check your medical history to check whether you have any health issues that might hinder healing.
If the tooth that needs replacing is still intact, our dentist will schedule an extraction.
Stage 2 – Additional Procedures
During the initial appointment, our dentist will check the state of your jawbone. If our dentist finds out that you might need some extra bone, then you will need bone grafting. Our dentist will perform gum grafts if there are other issues, such as gum recession.
Stage 3 – Artificial Root Replacement
Once the additional procedures are done, and you have healed, our dentist will place the dental implant. The next step is still done under local anesthesia. The tooth implant will be placed precisely to ensure it is in the right place.
Our dentist will confirm that the implant is in the right place in the jawbone. You will likely undergo a two-stage implant placement process. In other words, the implant will be placed, and you will go home and get some time to heal.
Stage 4 – Abutment Placement
Before the abutment is placed, our dentist will confirm if the implant and the jawbone have fused. If the fusion has taken place, then our dentist will proceed by fixing the abutment. It connects the implant with the tooth replacement. A healing cap will be placed to ensure the gum doesn’t grow over the abutment.
Stage 5 – Tooth Replacement
After the gums have healed, our implant dentist near you will place the tooth replacement. The tooth replacement can be a crown, dental bridge, or denture. Once the tooth replacement is firmly in place, your smile is as good as new.
How Long Does the Procedure Take?
Since dental implants are surgically placed, it will take several months. If there are additional procedures, such as bone grafting, the first stage will take three to six months.
Then, placing the implant will take two hours, but healing will be between three and six months. After healing, you can come to get the tooth replacement which takes two visits.
The procedure will take about six months if there are no additional procedures. If there are, it could take between nine and 12 months.
We Are Here for You
If you need dental implants near you in East Vancouver, we are here for you. You can contact us at Phoenix Dental Implant and Invisalign Centre to schedule an appointment. We are just a four-minute drive away from Queen Elizabeth Park.