Dental Implant Surgery: When Does the Procedure Become Necessary?
Dental implant surgery is a process to replace your natural tooth roots with titanium screw-like posts to replace a missing tooth. The missing tooth is replaced with an artificial tooth that looks and functions like a natural tooth. Dental implant surgery is a suitable alternative if you consider dentures or bridgework that do not fit well and can also be an option when the lack of natural tooth does not allow building tooth replacements from dentures or bridgework.
Dental implant procedure becomes necessary when you lose more than one teeth but have a jawbone that has reached full growth and adequate bone to secure the implants. The surgery’s objective is to give you natural-looking artificial teeth that are not stable like dentures or bridges but function as natural replacements for the teeth you lost.
Dental implant surgery will be a welcome option if you are unable or unwilling to wear dentures, are willing to commit several months for the procedure, and, most importantly, do not smoke or use tobacco in any form.
How Can You Proceed When You Have Missing Teeth in Your Mouth?
After losing your natural teeth, your first task would be to research teeth replacement solutions that are available as dental bridges, dentures, and dental implants. Hearing about dental implants will encourage you to study dental implants near me to gather more information about how they can help you. You may even discuss this option with the Multnomah Village dentist who can provide more information about dental implants in Portland, Oregon.
The information you collect will help you understand that the dental implant surgical procedure requires multiple surgeries. However, the method gives you stable and durable support for your new artificial teeth supported by dental implants. Information about dental implants requiring multiple surgeries will undoubtedly raise your curiosity to ask questions about how long a dental implant procedure takes? The dentist near you will answer that the entire process requires several months to heal after the implant is placed in your jawbone. The implant must integrate with your jawbone before you can have new artificial teeth, and the bone healing process requires time.
How Do You Prepare for Dental Implant Surgery?
The planning process for dental implants will involve professionals from different fields. You may consult with a maxillofacial surgeon, a dentist specializing in treating structures for supporting the teeth, and a dental professional who designs artificial teeth.
As dental implants require multiple surgeries, you must have a thorough evaluation when preparing for the process. The evaluations include:
A comprehensive dental exam to have x-rays and 3D images of your teeth and jaw taken to have models made. The oral surgeon will review the entire medical history and inquire about any medical conditions affecting you or medications you are taking, including prescription, over-the-counter, and supplements. The dental professionals will tailor a treatment plan for your situation after considering factors like the number of teeth you want replacing, your jawbone’s condition, and your remaining teeth.
What Can You Expect during Dental Implant Surgery?
Placing implants is performed in an outpatient setting in stages, giving you healing time between procedures. The process for placing dental implants includes multiple steps such as:
- Removing damaged teeth in your mouth.
- Preparing your jawbone for grafting if required.
- Placing the dental implant.
- Bone growth and healing.
- Placing the abutment and the artificial tooth.
During the surgery for placing the dental implant near Southwest Portland, the oral surgeon will cut open your gums to expose the bone. Holes are drilled into the bone to put the dental implant metal post. The titanium post will serve as a tooth root, and therefore it is implanted deep into your jawbone. You will have a gap where the tooth is missing at this stage, and we wonder what to expect after dental implant surgery. However, you can rest assured that the oral surgeon would have considered this factor and arranged to place a temporary denture in your mouth for aesthetics. The temporary denture can be removed for cleaning when sleeping.
Waiting for Jawbone Healing
After the implants are inserted, you must wait for osseointegration to begin. This is the process when the jawbone integrates with the surface of the dental implant. The process requires some months but helps to provide a stable base for your new artificial teeth similar to your tooth roots that held your natural teeth.
Another surgery will be required after osseointegration has been completed for placing the abutment, which will eventually hold the artificial crown in place. This surgical procedure will require healing for another two weeks before you can discuss dental implants near south-west Portland, the kind of artificial tooth you want to have to replace your lost teeth.
The surgery for dental implants only becomes necessary when you have lost one or more teeth and want to have a replacement solution that will last for a lifetime. The process is invasive and intensive but will give you natural-looking artificial teeth that will leave you and everyone around feeling you still enjoy your natural teeth, unlike many unfortunate others.