What Exactly Happens in a Dental Implant Procedure?

A dental implant is a small, screw-shaped post made of biocompatible materials (usually medical-grade titanium) that is surgically placed into the jawbone to replace a missing tooth root. Once the implant is placed in the jawbone, it fuses with the surrounding bone tissues in a process called osseointegration, which creates a strong and stable foundation for a replacement tooth.

There are essentially four steps in a dental implant procedure:

1) Finding out if you are a good candidate for dental implants
Our dental implant extraordinaire, Dr Nick Williams, will take x-rays and 3D jaw scans to see how your jawbone looks and assess whether implants are a suitable option for you at this point in time. If there is too much jawbone loss, your treatment plan might involve bone grafting. If you have gum disease or other dental issues, we will get those treated first.

2) Creating a map of your jawbone
Once your treatment plan has been outlined and agreed upon, Dr Nick will use special software to create a map of your jaw bone to pinpoint the exact position of your dental implant. Once confirmed, a template guide will be created to help Dr Nick get precise results.

3) Placing your dental implant(s)
First, Dr Nick will provide you with local anesthetic to ensure you are comfortable throughout the surgery. Then, using the surgical guide/template discussed earlier, Dr Nick will make a narrow channel and insert the titanium implant (that acts as an artificial tooth root) in your jawbone. You’ll then be sent home with mild anti-inflammatories to be used if required over the next 24 hours, and antibiotics to take for 5 days. We then wait while your implant or implants integrate with the surrounding bone that will eventually grow around, and lock into your implant. 

4) Creating crowns for your implant(s)
After around 3-6 months, you’ll be back in the surgery to take some final impressions so we can create the perfect crown(s) for you. These are handcrafted by a local ceramist to blend perfectly with the surrounding natural teeth. Once ready, you’ll come in for your final visit, where Dr Nick will secure your replacement tooth or teeth to your implant post.

How long the process takes

Implants placed into your own bone are ready to have crowns / bridges / dentures attached at 3-4 months. If there is insufficient bone and grafting is required, this healing period is extended to 6-9 months depending how much is your own bone and how much is grafted bone.

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If you’d like to book a complimentary consultation with Dr Nick Williams, please fill in this form: https://form.jotform.com/DentalHolistix/dental-implants