Dental Implant Placement

For hundreds of years, options for replacing missing teeth were very limited. Today, however, there are dental implants. The result of an accidental discovery in the 1950s, dental implants provide a revolutionary alternative to bridges and dentures. The treatment uses titanium posts, which are implanted into your jawbone, to provide support for dental restorations. Your bone fuses to these posts, turning them into replacement roots that can hold your new teeth securely in place. At Optimum Oral Surgery Group, we provide dental implants for multiple tooth replacement needs.

Your Initial Consult

Before undergoing surgery, you first need to undergo an initial consultation. This consultation is performed to determine that dental implants are the right solution for you. During your consultation, we go over your medical history to determine if you have any medical conditions that might interfere with treatment. We also thoroughly examine your mouth. We look over your teeth and gums for signs of tooth decay and gum disease. These issues need to be treated before receiving dental implants. We also take images of your mouth, such as digital X-rays and 3D scans. These images show us the hidden structures of your mouth, such as the roots of your teeth and your jawbone. We can determine if you need a bone graft first and the ideal placement of your dental implants.

Placing Your Dental Implants

Placing dental implants requires a surgical procedure, which is done under a local anesthetic as well as sedation. Small incisions are made in the gums and holes are drilled into the jawbone. The implant posts are placed inside, and your gums are sutured closed around them. If you are undergoing treatment with Teeth in a Day, your final dental restorations are placed immediately on the posts. Otherwise, temporary teeth are placed on your posts and you are sent home to heal.

What to Expect During Recovery

The recovery process following dental implant surgery generally takes anywhere from several weeks to several months to complete. Before you leave the office, we provide you with aftercare instructions that will help you to deal with common issues like pain and swelling, limiting your activities, and what to eat, and how to care for surgical wounds. It is imperative that you follow your instructions to avoid serious complications. As you begin to heal, you can resume your normal activities as well as your normal diet.

Getting Your Final Restorations

If you have been wearing temporary teeth, the process for placing your final restorations begins after you have fully healed from surgery. This process takes two appointments to complete. At your first appointment, we remove the temporary teeth and place the abutments on the implant posts. Next, we take impressions of your mouth, which are then sent to a dental lab. The lab uses these impressions to design and create your final restorations. During your second appointment, your final restorations are checked for fit, bite, and for comfort. If no adjustments are needed, your teeth are secured into place using small screws.

Dental implants provide many incredible benefits that make them well worth the more in-depth procedure and additional time. To learn more about dental implants and to find out if they are the right solution for you, call Optimum Oral Surgery Group at (856) 437-4432 to schedule your consultation today.