All About Dental Implant

For those with significant tooth issues, dental implants are a relatively recent alternative. Dental implants, which were first used roughly 50 years ago, have risen in favor as an alternative to dentures and bridges for replacing diseased or missing teeth since the 1970s. Although just 6% of Americans get implants presently, that percentage is expected to rise to 23% by 2026.

What is Dental Implant?

The dental implant, which is often a tiny titanium or titanium-alloy screw inserted into the jawbone by a dentist, is used to secure a custom-made dental crown. Zirconia implants have since been authorized for use by the Food and Drug Administration. In the last five years, zirconia, a durable white ceramic substance, has become increasingly popular.

Steps of Dental Implant Surgery

When all other factors are in place, an implant can be put right after a non-restorable tooth is taken. However, patients should anticipate that the process of receiving dental implants might take up to a year to complete because it entails many surgeries, each of which must be healed before going on to the next.

1. Dental examination: Before the implant procedure can begin, your dentist must do a comprehensive examination. The utilization of 3D imaging with a CT scan has come a long way from the early days of dental implants. The dentist can better analyze your oral health, especially the bone that will support the implant, without having to rely on two-dimensional X-rays.
2. Removal of the tooth or teeth to be replaced: The next step is to remove the tooth or teeth to be replaced. Although there are dentists who specialize in implantology and do the complete process from start to finish, this is normally done by an oral surgeon.
3. Bone graft: If your dentist determines that you don't have enough bone to support the implant, he or she will need to perform a bone graft, which involves harvesting bone from elsewhere in your body and placing it where it's needed. There are various possibilities for synthetic and natural donor bone.
4. Implant placement: After the wound has healed, your dentist will drill into the jawbone and install the implant. This also needs a period of recovery (if the bone graft is minor, these two surgeries may be performed at the same time). Because the implant is effectively a tooth root, it must be fixed deep into the bone, exactly like a real tooth. You will wear a temporary, removable denture to cover the gap where your original tooth was removed while you recuperate from the implantation and the bone forms around the new implant (a process known as osseointegration).
5. The component of the implant that will keep the crown in place—the abutment—is inserted after two or three months when enough bone has grown in to anchor it, and the gum region is closed around its borders. Now the gums must recover, which might take anywhere from four to six weeks.
6. Crown placement: The crown is placed in the last stage. Your crown is made to match the color, shape, and size of the rest of your teeth. After the abutment is installed, molds or digital imprints of your existing teeth and jaw are taken.

Is Getting a Dental Implant Painful?

Some dental implant treatments can be unpleasant, although not nearly as much as a root canal. Patients are usually given local anesthetic as well as a sedative. You should anticipate feeling pain for a few days following the procedure. Until all of the operations are completed and the new crown is securely in place, you must avoid hard or crunchy foods.

Do you need a dental implant? Call the Premier Smile Clinic with confidence and benefit from professional services. Phone: (610) 647-7611.