Understanding the procedure for dental implants

While some people who may only be missing a single tooth or even a row of teeth, getting implants is probably the best solution, but there are patients who opt to replace teeth that are possibly healthy for a better more aesthetic smile. Undergoing this treatment is quite the process and involves some serious surgery, so Aura Dental, dentist in St John’s Wood, would like to explain it to you in detail so that you know the facts when making the decision to get dental implants.

If you still have teeth

Your dentist in St John’s Wood will require that the socket where the root fits into the jaw be completely empty and cleaned out before the implant can be placed. If you have a loose or decayed tooth or want to replace natural teeth, these will first need to be surgically removed and the area cleaned out and correctly treated to be made ready for the implant. The tooth extraction is performed under local anaesthetic.

The implant procedure

The now clean and open area where the implant will be placed needs to be properly numbed with a local anaesthetic, at this point, your dentist will decide if you will need a bone graft, this bone graft ensures a solid base necessary for the implant to fit into. If this turns out to be a lengthy and involved procedure; you may need to wait for a few months for the area to heal properly before proceeding with the implant surgery. However, if there’s enough bone from the get-go and you don’t need a bone graft then your dentist in St John’s Wood can place the implants immediately.

Dental implants are titanium posts or screws that your dentist places into the bone of your jaw by using a special drill and other tools, once the implant is correctly inserted, the gum is stitched up. You may get a temporary denture to cover up the gap in your mouth simply for aesthetic purposes but then you are sent home to heal before your next appointment. Depending on the quality of your bone, healing time can take 2-6 months, during this time, the bone fuses with the implant securing it in place thus making it strong enough to fit a false tooth without risking damage.

If the healing was a success then an abutment is connected to the implant. The dentist creates a crown that fits onto the abutment, this crown looks like a real tooth though it is often made of ceramic and will be made to match your other teeth or give you a brand new smile.

Benefits

Dental implants are a permanent solution to a missing tooth and the fact that they resemble a natural tooth is very appealing to many people, they even feel similar to natural teeth and eating with these dental implants is the same as eating with natural teeth, which is often a common complaint among denture wearers, so you can go about your life as usual without the worry of your teeth falling out by becoming stuck in food.