What Are the Steps Involved in Getting Dental Implants in Torrance?
Among the different restorative dental treatments, dental implants are one of the ideal solutions. These metal posts are surgically fixed on the jaw to anchor the artificial teeth. While these implants are effective, some people are skeptical about them because of the lengthy process. Before you can disregard the idea of getting the metal posts it is important to know the steps involved.
How Are the Dental Implants Fixed?
The steps of getting dental implants near New Horizons South Bay in Torrance include:
- Evaluation
Before the implant surgery is carried out, a comprehensive dental assessment is done to examine your eligibility. Not everyone is a suitable candidate for getting the metal posts fixed, and as such, our dentist will conduct an evaluation. An x-ray is often done to check the condition and density of the jaw bone.
For you to be eligible for dental implants, you need to have healthy teeth and gums and sufficient bone density.
Failure to have the required bone support can compromise the integrity and the success of the implant surgery. Most people with missing teeth experience about 12 percent loss of the alveolar bone in the first year. If you want dental implants, then a dentist near you may recommend a bone graft.
Bone grafting is the use of bone granules from your hip or a cadaver to stimulate bone growth. The procedure is done first before the actual implant procedure and it can take a few months (three to six months) for the new bone to grow and be ready for the implant procedure.
During this first visit, our dentist in Torrance will take you through the procedure and the different types of implants that are available. You can choose endosteal, subperiosteal, all-on-4, or mini dental implants depending on the number and location of the missing teeth.
- Fixing the implants
If you have sufficient bone density and do not need a bone graft, then the dentist will proceed to fix the implants. This can be done on the first appointment or a different date, and it will take about 45 to 90 minutes.
The dentist 90505 will open the gums and drill the jaw to fix the metal screws. The gums are usually stitched to facilitate healing and it can take about six to eight months for the bones to heal.
- Osseointegration
During the healing process, it not only the gums that are a cause of concern but also how the bone and implant fuse. The osseointegration process must be successful otherwise the treatment will fail.
- Placing the abutment
The dentist can place the abutment or connector on the same day as the implant procedure or later after the osseointegration process. The gums are reopened to access the implants and the connector is fixed in place. The dentist may take a cast of your teeth to make the permanent crowns.
- Fixing the permanent crowns
The final step of dental implant surgery is fixing the crowns, and they can either be removable or fixed. Most implants are fixed, but if you have multiple missing teeth, you can opt for implant-supported dental dentures.
The fixed crowns can be cemented or screwed in based on your preference.
What Can You Expect After the Implants Are Fixed?
You will not feel pain during the implant procedure, but as the anesthesia begins to wear out, you will experience slight discomfort. There may be gum bleeding, soreness, and swelling, but these problems will clear after some time with the use of pain relievers.
It is important to avoid eating hot, spicy, chewy foods following the procedure to avoid hurting the gums. Also, resume brushing and rinsing of the mouth 24 hours after getting the implants fixed.
Final Thoughts
The implant procedure has a high success rate (95 percent of the people report a positive result. But, if you notice bruising, nerve damage, and swelling that does not clear out in a few days, visit our dentist at Sparkle Family Dentistry for an assessment and treatment.