Dental Implant Stages To Receive The Smile You Desire
Dental implants can improve your quality of life when you have missing or impacted teeth. Because they look and function like your natural teeth, they restore your smile and renew your confidence.
Many Australians with missing teeth could benefit from dental implants. Besides helping you regain confidence and your smile, dental implants also have multiple health benefits. They promote jawbone growth, make it easier to clean your teeth, reduce tooth decay, and help maintain your facial structure.
When you visit your dentist, you can expect to go through several stages of the tooth implant procedure. There are six major dental implant stages — the initial consultation, the first dental implant procedure, osseointegration, the abutment surgery, and the designing and fitting of the crown. However, depending on your jawbone density and oral health, you may require several other procedures before receiving your dental implant.
At No Gaps Dental, we take pride in our dental implant procedure. We are always happy to answer any questions you may have before and after your surgery so that you receive the smile you desire.
What Is a Dental Implant?
Dental implants are artificial tooth roots holding a replacement tooth or bridge. Unlike other dental treatments completed in a day, the dental implant procedure is a multi-stage approach that typically takes three to four months.
Dental implants are a permanent solution to missing teeth. They consist of a tiny titanium screw, a small hook-like device called the abutment, and an artificial tooth or crown.
The only visible part of the dental implant is the crown since the rest of the implant sits in your jawbone. If you are considering the treatment, look at the different stages of dental implants to know what to expect.
Dental Implant Stages
Each of the dental implant stages will be explained in detail by your dentist before any procedures occur. Ask your dentist to clarify if you are unsure about preparation requirements, aftercare guidelines, or recovery timelines.
Because some dental implant stages involve surgery, a full understanding of the procedure can help you recover faster and allow you to develop habits that keep your dental implants clean and intact, increasing their lifespan.
1. Initial Consultation
Before scheduling your first surgery, your dentist will arrange an initial consultation and examine your oral health using X-rays to see if you are a candidate for dental implants. They review your oral health history, any medicines you’re taking, whether you’ve had previous surgery and medical history to determine if you have medical conditions that may affect the dental implants procedure, such as clotting disorders, type I diabetes, and other autoimmune diseases.
Your dentist will check to see that your jawbone is strong enough to support a dental implant, you have healthy gums, and you are medically fit.
If your jaw cannot support the dental implant, your dentist may recommend a bone graft or sinus lift to ensure that your dental implant procedure is effective. You’ll need to schedule a separate surgery first, allowing the jaw to heal before proceeding with your dental implants.
If you show signs of gum disease, your dentist must treat it before you receive dental implants. They may ask you to stop smoking and commit to a daily oral health routine. The dentist can also assess your jawbone density to determine if you require a bone grafting procedure.
If you do, they can discuss with you what to expect from the surgery and its effects on the stages of tooth implant treatment.
However, if your jawbone and gums are healthy enough to support dental implants, your dentist can talk about the dental implant procedure with you and explain the following stages of a tooth implant procedure in more depth.
2. Treatment planning
The treatment planning stage is one of the most vital steps in all the stages of dental implants. If you haven’t already had your bone density assessed with a CT scan, it may be taken at this point.
The CT scan acts as a template during implant surgery, guiding the dentist to the best position for placement. As well as the placement site, the treatment plan includes the implant’s type, size, and shape.
At this stage, you may also have impressions made of your mouth to provide you with a temporary denture to replace your missing tooth or teeth until your dental implant procedure is completed.
Once the treatment planning is complete, you will receive a dental implant surgery date.
3. Tooth extraction
Your tooth extraction may prolong your procedure depending on various factors, such as your tooth’s location and the extraction type. To extract a tooth, your dentist uses an instrument called an elevator to wiggle it until it loosens. Then, they use dental forceps to remove it.
If you have an impacted tooth, you must undergo oral surgery to remove it first. It may need to be sectioned and extracted into pieces. The extraction site may take up to seven to ten weeks to fully heal.
4. Bone grafting
If the jawbone cannot support dental implants, bone grafting may be necessary. The dentist can transplant natural or synthetic bone into the jawbone. This procedure promotes bone tissue growth to support the implant. Bone grafts usually have high success rates.
Bone grafts usually take several months to heal and require multiple follow-up visits to your dentist to check your healing. Your dentist can tell you when your new bone is stable enough to support the implant.
5. Dental Implant Surgery
Once you have completed any necessary medical procedures, your dentist will schedule your dental implant surgery. You will have IV sedation or a local anaesthetic to make the process as comfortable as possible.
At No Gaps Dental, all our practices offer inhalation sedation dentistry, and we monitor your vitals to keep you safe during the procedure. We also ensure we follow all Australian dental guidelines for infection control. This includes the availability of hand sanitisers. Our dentists encourage patients to use hand sanitisers to prevent the spread of disease. Hand sanitisers that contain between 60 and 95% ethanol (isopropyl alcohol) are effective against many bacteria that cause illnesses.
Your dentist will make an incision into your gum to make a flap. The flap is opened to reveal the jawbone, where a small hole is drilled, and the dental implant is directly placed into the bone. The gum flap is moved back into position and sutured to cover the implant and clean the wound.
The length of the surgery depends on the number of dental implants you require — it usually takes one to two hours per tooth implant. For two weeks following your dental implant surgery, you’ll need to rest, avoid hard foods, and refrain from smoking. Follow your dentist’s aftercare instructions carefully, and call them if you experience vomiting, high fever, or intense discomfort.
6. Osseointegration
After your dental implant surgery, you’ll need to wait for a process called osseointegration to finish before proceeding to the next step. The dental implants will fuse to the jaw, becoming integrated into the bone over the next several months. Immediately following your dental implant surgery, you can expect some degree of swelling and bruising in your mouth. For most people, this will subside within a few days. However, it’s not uncommon for there to be some degree of mouth soreness for up to two weeks after the surgery.
Dental implants are made from biocompatible titanium, meaning your body won’t reject it during integration. The implant can take three to nine months to fully integrate into the bone. It helps provide a solid foundation for your new artificial abutment.
This process is critical because it allows dental implants to support your artificial tooth for a lifetime. It also strengthens your jawbone and supports your facial structure.
7. Abutment Surgery
Once the osseointegration process has finished, your dentist will schedule a second surgery to attach the abutment to your dental implant. After receiving either sedation or local anaesthesia, your dentist will cut through the gum and attach the abutment, a small hook, to the dental implant. They will close the incision and clean up.
This surgery may be shorter than the first and usually requires around two weeks of healing time before they can attach your dental restoration. Avoid intense, energetic exercise, hard foods, smoking, and straws while waiting for your gum to heal.
8. Designing Your Artificial Tooth
After you’ve recovered, your dentist will meet with you to design your artificial tooth or crown. At No Gaps Dental, we make impressions of your mouth and create a custom crown or bridge if you have multiple dental implants.
Your dentist will work with you to ensure your crown fits your smile seamlessly.
9. Placing Your Artificial Tooth
The last of the dental implant stages is fitting your crown. The dentist customises a dental crown using 3D imaging or X-rays. The dental crown is milled on-site using CEREC technology from a single block of solid ceramic zirconia. If you have been wearing a temporary dental crown, your dentist will remove it to cement a permanent dental crown in place. Your dentist will fit it, hooking it to your abutment. They will check with you to ensure you’re happy with the fit, feel, and look.
Your dental procedure may take four to nine months to complete, depending on the need for bone grafts and tooth extractions before the procedure and the recovery times for all stages of a tooth implant. The result is an attractive, permanent smile that can last a lifetime.
Caring For Your Dental Implants
Except for the few weeks following the dental implant procedure, you won’t need to use any additional cleaning methods for your dental implants. Schedule regular dental appointments for cleaning and checkups, and brush and floss your teeth twice daily. Regular flossing and brushing can help you prolong the life of your implants by dislodging food particles and removing bacteria. Avoid hard foods like ice and hard sweets to prevent your implants and natural teeth from breaking.
If you play contact sports, you may want to consider a mouthguard to protect your dental implant from damage.
With good care, your implants can last for 15 years or more.
Ultimately, they will prove to be a good investment that is as close to the look and functionality of your natural teeth as you could ever imagine.
Are you considering dental implants to restore your smile?
If you’re interested in learning more about the dental implant stages or want to find out if you’re a candidate for dental implants, call the No Gaps Dental team on (02) 8806 0227 today. We’re happy to answer any questions and offer various financing options for those concerned about cost.
Dental implants can increase your confidence and improve your oral health. If you have missing teeth, arrange your initial consultation at No Gaps Dental and start your journey towards a full, healthy smile. Our team uses hand sanitiser after every patient and recommends using hand sanitiser before touching your face once you return home after your implant procedure.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks.