Dental implants are an excellent way to replace missing teeth and can be prescribed for one tooth or many missing teeth within the mouth. Dental implants are surgically drilled into the jawbone for permanent adhesion, so they are the closest thing to having a natural tooth as you can get. In fact, when you look at an implant on a radiograph, it looks like a screw inside the bone. Dental implants can be designed to hold crowns and bridges or to affix dentures, so they don’t move or rub like typical denture plates do.
Implants can last a lifetime if cared for properly and with the ever-changing technology in oral care, they are available to almost anyone. If you are healthy enough to be treated for an oral surgery or surgical extraction, you can undergo implant placement as long as you have enough bone to foundationally support them. However, if you have poor dental health and oral hygiene practices, it is imperative that those situations improve before having implant surgery. Otherwise, the implant can fail to attach due to infection or disease.
What to expect when expecting an implant:
- Jawbone grafting may be needed as part of the implant surgery.
- Over time, the titanium or zirconia implant will slowly fuse with the bone, creating a healthy and stable foundation.
- After the implant and surgical site has healed, the implant is surgically exposed just at the tip and an abutment is attached to the top of the implant so an impression can be taken to fabricate the final.
- The abutment is a small piece of titanium that’s attached to your implant and serves as a base for the new tooth or attachment bar.
- An impression will be taken so that a custom-made crown or denture can be fabricated.
- In the meantime, a fitted temporary can be molded to wear until the permanent fabrication is ready.
- The entire process can take anywhere from five to eight months. Healing times vary from person to person and other factors may slow down the process like esthetic changes or additional surgical interventions.
If you think dental implants are the solution for your dental problems and/or have questions regarding the restoration process, contact the highly reputable and experienced Dr. Omid Farahmand, DMD of OF Dental Care at 626.254.1948 to schedule an appointment or for further information please visit www.OFDentalCare.com.