There are a number of people today struggling with dental injuries or diseases. They have a number of dental treatments available to them that would assist in healthy dental maintenance. Dental procedures are for those individuals who possess poor dental health and/or have damaged or missing teeth. It is advisable to understand the basics of any surgery you intend to undergo.
A dental implant procedure is process of restoring damaged or missing teeth. Most implants have a titanium composition and can be created for the restoration of one tooth or several teeth. Dental implants are usually effective, long lasting and cannot be recognized from the natural teeth; as their look is significantly the same as that of a natural tooth. When a multi tooth restoration is required, the implants are held together by a bridge or over a denture. If you are wondering exactly how a dental implant procedure actually works, keep reading.
Visit a General Dentist for Diagnosis and Treatment Options.
A trip to a dental surgeon can provide a better idea of exactly what problem you are confronting, and what is required to repair it. Your general dental health is carefully measured by the specialist and many factors are considered when deliberating any type of dental surgery. Your jaws, jaw bone, teeth problem and necessary precautionary measures are heavily weighed before a treatment is suggested. It is here that the specialist will analyze what will work best for you and your current dental needs.
When all factors are measured and considered, a plan of action will be put into place; including the surgery that works best for the patient. In a case where issues within your jaw area needs further resolution, a grafting of the jaw bone will be performed. This procedure assures that there is enough bone in the jaw to complete the procedure and that it is strong enough to hold the implant in place.
Dental implants are comprised of either titanium or zirconium materials. Each serves its own purpose and your surgeon will be able to advise you on the positive and negative things of each material.
The procedure is quite simple. It begins by making a suitably sized incision into the gum where the implant (root) will be placed. It is topped with a cap (crown) that sits above the jaw line and resembles a natural tooth. The procedure is done in stages depending on your pre-op needs.
Basic Dental Implants Procedure:
In this procedure, the bone is completely ready for optimal implant positioning by making use of either precision drills or by hand. The process in which you make an incision by hand is to avoid something known as Pressure Necrosis; which means that there is too much compression (pressure) against a surface. This can potentially cause the bone to bruise or become sore. When Pressure Necrosis is introduced to dental surgery, it could potentially cause burning of the jaw bone; which could lead to implant failure. The incision is then followed by an implant and a crown placed atop the implant.
Dental Surgical Incisions:
This phase includes building an incision over the implant site`s crest, known as a “Flap”. Several dental implant surgeries include a flapless process which includes punching out of a part of mucosa (mucous membrane lining) from the implant site. Research shows that a flapless process decreases the healing time for the dental implant.
Dental Implant Healing Time:
The period of time given for the implant to recover varies. It may take between 2 and 6 months for the implant to fully heal. Healing time truly depends on the individual and the factors that surround his/her surgery.
Surgical Timing for Dental Implants:
There are a few pre-surgery factors that impact the actual timing for your procedure. If an extracted tooth was just removed, it may take a few weeks, or months, for the gums to heal before an implant can be embedded. The timing for each surgery is relative to the patient and their before/after surgical needs.
Detail Procedure of Dental Implants:
This phase includes drilling a pilot hole into the edentulous jaw area (without teeth) cautiously to avert significant structures. Wider drills may be utilized to increase the lead hole; however, this is dependent on the width/length of the implant, along with the surgical needs of the patient, to avoid overheating of the bone. The implant is screwed into place at a carefully determined area to avoid overloading the bone; which could cause death of the bone leading to implant failure. A cooling water or saline spray is employed to maintain the bone temperature throughout the procedure.