Improving one’s self confidence is a never ending venture in man. Losing a tooth can tend to seriously affect its course, but rest assured, dental implants are here.
Dental implants are screw-like posts implanted in the jawbone to replace tooth roots. They permit patients to regain teeth functions and aesthetics, all while looking very natural.
In case you were curious about the course of this procedure, we got your back. From tooth removal and bone grafting to implant and abutment placements and finally healing, all steps involved are covered in this article. Without further hesitation, let’s dive in!
How Do You Prepare for Dental Implant Surgery? (Preoperative Phase)
Before actually going through the surgical procedure of dental implantation, some things have to be done beforehand to assure the smoothness of the overall procedure. To get knowledge of what these preparatory steps are, read on to the following paragraphs:
- Consultation
Before the implantation procedure, a consultation is vital as it permits medical specialists to assess your oral health and understand your expectations. During this session, your teeth will be scanned and x-rayed for detailed visualization.
All these will be useful for the curation of your custom treatment plan, so as to ensure maximum accuracy.
- Treatment Planning
This is the stage where the dentist makes use of all the data collected during consultation. They will analyze data collected, and draft a treatment plan according to it. This treatment plan will reveal what procedures you’re eligible for, as well as which is most suitable for you.
After you’re presented with this treatment plan, you will have to approve, modify, or disapprove of it if expectations are not well targeted. Sometimes, to assure proper osseointegration and implant stability, some patients may need to undergo preparatory surgeries such as bone grafting or tooth extraction.
What Is Bone Grafting?
If your jawbone is not solid enough to hold an implant on its own, you can always turn to bone grafting for a fix.
Bone grafting is a procedure done before implantation to reinforce the jawbone. This minor surgery is done through the creation of an incision in the jawbone (receptor site) for reception of bone graft. Bone material is then transferred from donor to receptor site, followed by suturing for healing and integration.
Once successfully healed, your jawline will be set and ready to receive your new implants.
How Long Can You Wait to Get a Dental Implant After a Bone Graft?
On average, patients have to wait 3-4 months for bone graft to heal before getting implants. However, this period varies depending on conditions such as oral health, graft size and position, as well as implant position.
Tooth Extraction
When a tooth is damaged, deeply infected or decayed, it has to be taken out through the tooth extraction process.
Before performing this procedure, your dentist will run scans and x-rays to be sure extraction is the only way out. Once certain, they will apply anesthesia to numb surrounding tissues. With the help of an elevator, the tooth is loosened from its socket and taken out with a pair of forceps. Once done, the empty cavity will be cleaned and disinfected , eventually preparing it for a dental implant.
Introducing an implant immediately into the cavity is recommended, as it reduces possibilities of jawbone loss.
Diet
Before your surgery, depending on the outcome of your consultation, your dentist may encourage or discourage the consumption of certain foods prior to your operation. For example, drinks such as alcohol can influence blood flow in the jawbone and thus, should be avoided prior to your surgery.
Lifestyle
After your consultation, your dentists will be fit to give you advice regarding your lifestyle for better osseointegration. A heavy smoker for example, will be advised to cut tobacco intake prior to his operation.
Medication
Depending on the patient and implantation method chosen, your dentist might give you a few prescriptions. They will mostly comprise medications aimed at improving comfort and overall implantation course.
Implant Placement (Course)
After consultation and approval of your treatment plan, here comes the implantation process. This process in itself can be broken into the following steps :
Numbing
To begin, your dentist will administer a few doses of anesthesia or sedatives, depending on your consultation’s outcome.
Incision
The dentist then proceeds by creating incisions in the jawbone, where they will place the implant. This will help improve visualization for cavity drilling.
Cavity Drilling
With the help of surgical machines, the dentist will drill a hole in the incised regions for implantation. This hole’s size will be determined on jawbone strength, implant size, as well as placement position.
Implant Placement
After the creation of a cavity in the jawbone, the dentist will carefully fixate the implant into it, give it a few stitches, and leave it to heal. This healing period which lasts between 3-6 months permits the implant to fuse with the jawbone.
Attachment of Abutments
Once fusion between jawbone and implant is complete, the abutment will be attached atop the implant. Abutments serve as connectors between the crown and the implant. This is done by trimming the stitches and gum tissues covering the implant so as to expose its tip. Once exposed, the abutment will be placed and you’ll be set to receive your crowns.
Attachment of Crowns
The final and most awaited part of your implant journey is finally here, which is crown placement. Here, your dentist collects your prosthetic teeth from the laboratory technicians so you can check on them. Once approved, they will be fixated and sealed to the abutments.
From here, you will be able to go home after receiving aftercare recommendations, medications, and with booked check up dates.
Read more: Dental Implants Cost in Turkey
Tooth Implant Side Effects
Dental implants come with a few side effects which you may or may not face, but we still deem necessary to let you know. Some of them are:
- Swelling
As your jawbone tries to recover from the operation, you may experience swelling in parts of your face. They are most visible in the cheek of the implanted sides, and usually don’t last long. However, it is important to respect postoperative instructions and medications so as to accelerate deflation.
- Discomfort
Mild pain and discomfort will ensue after the procedure as a result of the dissipation of anesthesia or sedatives. They usually don’t last long either, but it remains essential to take prescribed medications in required dosages. By doing this, the discomfort will be gone faster than you’ll notice.
- Allergic Reactions
In some rare cases, patients can find themselves allergic to their implants. Unfortunate right? Since these implants can be made from different materials, it is essential to highlight your allergies to the dentist during consultation.
Dental Implants with Vitrin Clinic
Dental implants procedure is one which requires a lot of experience and expertise for a good outcome. Having been in the field for over 10 years, we have mastered this procedure and left thousands of people satisfied.
We not only make acquisition of state of the art technology a priority, we also make education a perpetual venture for our dental specialists. Pairing up to date technology to up to date methodological knowledge has definitely partaken in the surge of our satisfaction rates.
Did you know we guarantee you implant? Well, we do offer a lifetime guarantee on every dental implant procedure made with us. How convenient is that!
