How Long Do Dental Implants Take?

The dayton dental implants procedure will vary based on the dentist and their methods, the patient and their healing times as well as the placement of the implant in the mouth. We’ll walk you through the procedure with the clock running and the benefits when finished and why it is worth it.

The Dental Implant Procedure

Either you had an untimely accident and lost a tooth or the decision was made between your dentist and yourself that a tooth could not be saved and needed to be extracted. All of sudden you are left with a gap. A gap in your smile. If you don’t fill that gap your teeth will shift and negatively affect your bite pattern. You may notice a slight change in speech. Oh, and there is your smile.

A dental implant is the closest thing available to replacing a natural tooth. The very first step is to shoot an x-ray so the dentist has a road map of what is going on below the surface of the gums. Then, after a local anesthetic, the gum is opened and a small hole is drilled into the jawbone. Into the hole is place a titanium post. This concludes your first visit. Your second visit might be around two months later as you wait for the post to grow or graft to the bone. On the second visit you have an extension placed on the post called an abutment. While you wait for the gum to heal from this step an artificial tooth, or crown, is being fabricated at a dental lab from either porcelain or ceramic. Several weeks later you will have your third visit to cement that crown on to the abutment after your gums are healed. Just like that you have a new tooth.

The Benefits of having a Dental Implant

There are dentists in the country that will perform this procedure much faster. It’s better to error on the side of being conservative. Once you have the implant in place you will not be able to tell between it and your natural teeth. In fact, due to the post, it can be argued that it might be stronger. The growth in popularity for implants starts with the fact that they are so natural such that appearance is not an issue in comparison to a dental bridge. Your speech will return to normal and the implant is totally comfortable. You will find it easier to both eat, bite and chew. Although you will be advised to exercise some common sense in chewing on hard objects. Since the crown is porcelain or ceramic chewing on ice or a pencil can be detrimental. The implant is none-the less durable and if you exercise good oral hygiene you can expect a life expectancy of anywhere between 10 and 25 years.

Brush often, floss daily, and see your dentist twice a year for checkups, evaluations and professional cleaning. Exercising good oral hygiene will not only extend the life of your implant but also the remaining natural teeth in your mouth.

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