Losing natural teeth is devastating. Besides causing gaps in your smile, missing teeth can affect your bite function, oral hygiene, and self-confidence. Fortunately, your dentist can restore your smile, bite function, and self-confidence with dental implant treatment. Compared to alternative replacement treatments like dentures and bridges, implants offer the most realistic option regarding appearance, stability, and durability.
A tooth implant is a dental prosthesis to replace a missing tooth or teeth. An implant consists of three main parts: the rod, abutment, and crown. The implant post is surgically implanted into the jawbone. After that, an abutment that connects the implant to the outer crown is placed over the implant. Then, the restoration crown is added.
If you’re considering dental implants near you, you might be curious about your recovery bearing in mind that placing implants requires surgery. Fortunately for you, below, we’ve covered the various dental implants healing stages and what you can expect.
Before the implant, the dentist must assess your mouth and medical history to determine whether you’re eligible for the procedure. Generally, a good candidate for implants should have healthy gums and jawbones. The exam will include x-rays, CT scans, and impressions of your mouth. Fortunately, the exam is quick and painless.
If the damaged tooth is still in the mouth, the dentist will extract it. The dentist might recommend waiting a few weeks for the gums and bone to heal before placing the implant. Sometimes, the dentist can place the implant post on the same day as your tooth extraction. These are called immediate dental implants. It only applies if you have healthy gums, bones, and mouth.
You must have enough jawbone density to support a dental implant sufficiently. Otherwise, the implant might fail. If you lack enough bone density in your jaw, the dentist can recommend bone grafting to rebuild and repair your bone. The process involves adding new bone tissues to the jaw. You can obtain the graft materials from another part of your body, a human donor, an animal donor, or synthesized materials. After-surgery side effects take a few days to heal, while complete healing takes about 3 – 6 months.
The primary procedure involves placing the implant post in the jawbone. The surgeon makes an incision through the gums to access the underlying jawbone. Then, the dentist drills through the bone to place the implant post. Lastly, the surgeon stitches the gums to promote faster healing.
You might experience minor side effects like pain, swelling, and bleeding after the procedure. Fortunately, these symptoms should fade away in about two weeks. However, the complete healing or osseointegration takes about 3 – 6 months.
During this stage, the bone heals around the implant permanently. The healing length can depend on your age, overall health, oral habits, and more. You must maintain excellent oral hygiene and habits to promote faster healing and prevent infections like peri-implantitis, which can lead to implant failure.
After the implant fuses with the jawbone, the dentist will perform another minor surgery to place an abutment (connects the implant post to the restoration crown). Immediately after the procedure, you may experience minor pain or swelling. These symptoms should fade away in a few days. Complete healing takes about 2 – 4 weeks. Afterwards, the dentist will take impressions of the abutment and surrounding teeth to create the restoration crown.
The last stage involves placing the outer crown. The crown acts like a natural tooth outer crown, giving the implant the size, shape, and colour of a natural tooth. It ensures that the implant matches perfectly with the rest of your natural teeth. Placing the crown is a standard procedure, and you might only experience minor gum soreness, which should fade away in a few days.
Generally, the entire procedure of getting dental implants takes about 3 – 9 months or longer. However, considering the many benefits you’ll enjoy, it’s a worthwhile investment. Fortunately, your recovery should be quick and straightforward if you follow your dentist’s instructions.
If you are interested in dental implants in Concord, MA, contact our dentist at Concord Woods Dental Group for more information about teeth implants near you.
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