High Point dental patients can enjoy a number of benefits from dental implants, which may be utilized to replace a single damaged or decayed tooth or a full mouth’s worth of teeth as a permanent and more secure alternative to dentures.
Not every dentist deals in dental implants and not every dentist who performs dental implant procedures specializes in all varieties of dental implants, so it’s important to ask questions to this end.
How Do You Get Dental Implants?
High Point natives can benefit from dental implants at virtually any age, whether you’re in your 20s or a centenarian. The same basic process is used for placing the implant. Some may receive multiple implants while others may receive just one.
The first step may involve a tooth extraction if the tooth has severe decay or if the damage is irreparable. If an extraction is necessary, it’s not uncommon for the patient to wait for a period of a few weeks to allow the socket to heal. This gives the bone an opportunity to grow into the empty socket that once held the tooth, thereby providing the implant with a greater surface area with which to bond and fuse. If infection or decay has impacted the integrity of your jaw bone, you may need to wait for healing to occur before receiving dental implants. High Point patients can consult with a dentist who can evaluate your precise situation.
The actual implantation procedure is fairly quick and straightforward. It is usually performed under local anesthesia. Many patients opt for a sedative or conscious sedation. The dentist will open the gums and place the implant into the jaw bone. Over time, the implant fuses with the bone, securing the implants permanently. Bone grafts can be used to speed this process.
Healing generally occurs in two phases. The gums generally heal within a week or two. It may take several weeks longer for the healing to fully occur within the jaw bone. The implants must be securely fused with the bone before the visible portion of the tooth – called the crown – can be placed in many cases.
With all-on-four implants, the four “ports” usually must heal before the teeth – which are used to replace a full denture – are put into place. The same is true of implants that are received to support bridgework. In the case of these dental implants, High Point patients must ensure the jaw has healed and fused with the implants properly before the bridgework is placed. This is vital because eating and other normal usage can tug and put pressure on the implant, so it must be strong and secure enough to support that pressure.
*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Anchor Dental Care*