Dental implants have revolutionized tooth replacement, offering a permanent solution that looks, feels, and functions like natural teeth. If you’re considering implants in Minot, ND, understanding the placement process helps reduce anxiety and ensures you’re prepared for each step of your treatment.
The Dental Implant Procedure: What to Expect
The procedure to place a dental implant takes 30 to 60 minutes for one implant and only 2 to 3 hours for multiple implants. The number of appointments and time required vary from patient to patient. Your dentist brings great precision and attention to the details of your case, ensuring optimal results.
Before Your Surgery
Prior to surgery, you may receive antibiotics for greater comfort, or intravenous sedation. These options are discussed with you at your consultation appointment. A local anesthetic will be administered to numb the area where the implant will be placed, ensuring your comfort throughout the procedure.
The Surgical Process
When you are comfortable, the dentist makes a small incision in the gum tissue to reveal the bone. Using special instruments, they create space and gently insert the titanium implant. The top of this implant is often visible through the gum. Sometimes it is better in the early stages of healing to have the implant covered by the gum tissue, depending on your specific case and healing needs.
The Six Stages of Dental Implant Treatment
Understanding each stage helps you visualize the complete process:
- Normal: Your natural tooth structure before tooth loss
- Tooth Loss: The space where your tooth was removed
- Healed Bone: The jawbone after initial healing from extraction
- Implant Placed: The titanium post positioned in your jawbone
- Healing: The integration period where bone fuses with the implant
- Implant Restored: Your new crown attached to the healed implant
Healing After Dental Implant Surgery
Now the healing begins. The length of time varies from person to person, depending upon the quality and quantity of bone. In some cases, implants may be restored immediately after placement. Your dentist will advise you on follow-up care and timing.
After the initial phase of healing, your dentist places an abutment (support post) or a healing cap onto the implant during a brief follow-up visit. This allows gum tissue to mature and provides access to the implant.
Enhancing Your Results
Occasionally, impressions are made at the time the implant is placed. This enables the crown to be ready when the implants have healed. How long your mouth needs to heal is determined by a variety of factors. Follow-up care, usually one to four appointments, ensures that your mouth is healing well and determines when you’re ready for the restorative phase of treatment.
It may be beneficial to perform a soft tissue graft to obtain stronger, more easily cleaned and natural appearing gum tissue in the area around the implant. This process involves moving a small amount of gum tissue from one part of your mouth to the area around the implant. Most often, it is a brief and relatively comfortable procedure.
When Are Dental Implants Placed?
Implants are often placed several months after extraction, allowing the bone to heal completely. At times, an implant may be placed immediately after extraction of a tooth. This may involve a little more risk, but it simplifies the process, eliminating the wait for another appointment to place the implant. When infection or other problems with the bone are present, immediate implant placement is not the best treatment option.
Addressing Bone Loss
If your tooth has been missing for some time, the adjacent support bone is likely to grow thinner and shrink. This occurs because the root of the natural tooth needs to be present to stimulate the bone. As much as one third of your jaw’s thickness can be lost in the year following tooth extraction.
If you are missing enough bone, you may benefit from having additional bone grafted into the area. This ensures the implant will be adequately supported when placed in the jaw. Bone grafting not only gives us the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, it also gives us a chance to restore functionality and appearance.
How Many Implants Do You Need?
Most frequently, one implant per missing tooth is placed. Because many of the larger teeth in the back of your jaws have two or three roots, the most common approach is to replace missing back teeth with larger implants. Your specific needs will be determined during your consultation based on:
- The number of missing teeth
- The location of missing teeth
- The density and volume of available bone
- Your overall oral health
- Your restoration preferences
The Long-Term Investment in Your Oral Health
When comparing dental implants to other tooth replacement methods such as dentures and bridges, it’s important to consider the longevity offered by implants. While dentures and bridges are initially less expensive, they require repair and replacement every 5-10 years, often making them more expensive over time. By contrast, implants, when properly placed and cared for, can last a lifetime.
Preserving Your Jawbone
Over time, when a tooth is missing, the jaw bone deteriorates. While a denture or bridge may seem to function similarly to a tooth, underneath the surface damage is being done to the jaw bone and ultimately to the structure of the face. Dental implants are made of titanium, which actually integrates with the jaw bone, strengthening it and stimulating bone growth. This preserves the natural strength and quality of the mouth, preventing future problems.
Understanding the Complete Treatment Process
There are several steps (and often multiple professionals) involved in the placement of a dental implant. When comparing treatment options, it’s important to factor in each of these steps:
- Exams and office visits
- Tooth or root extraction if needed
- Bone grafting when required
- Placement of the titanium root (the implant itself)
- Placement of the crown
- X-rays and pre/post operative care
Quality of Life Benefits
Dental implants can be seen as a long-term investment not only in terms of money, but also in terms of quality of life. An implant is the closest thing to a natural tooth. In addition to allowing you to eat the same healthy foods you’ve always enjoyed, it also eliminates the day-to-day hassles and possible embarrassment frequently caused by dentures.
A full set of teeth makes eating a pleasure again, making it easier to eat a balanced, healthy diet. A full set of teeth also preserves the contours of the face, keeping you from looking old before your time.
Taking the Next Step
The only way to receive an accurate treatment plan is to schedule a consultation. During this appointment, your dentist will evaluate whether you’re a good candidate for implants, discuss the specific procedure for your case, and provide detailed information about timing and costs.
