Dental Implant Procedure Steps: What to Expect?
Assuming you have already booked or completed your consultation, let’s get started with the dental implant procedure steps.
Step 1: Implant Placement
Your tooth has been removed and you are ready to get it replaced. The first step is the placement of the implant.
The dentist will be surgically placing the implant in the upper or lower jaw. This does require some drilling as the implant must fit snuggly into the jawbone, acting like the root of your newest tooth.
When the implant is placed, a “healing cap” is placed over it to protect it during step 2.
It’s important to note that bone grafting may be required either before or during the implant placement. If this will be needed the doctor will discuss this with you beforehand.
Step 2: Healing and Osseointegration
Once the implant is in place it is now time to heal. This is critical during the dental implant procedure steps. You have to let the bone in your jaw grow around the implant. This takes some time but is what makes a dental implant so strong and why implants are highly recommended as the best longterm tooth replacement option.
Osseointegration is big word for the implant “fusing” to the jaw bone. The bone locks the implant in place and grows around it to reinforce it, just like your other teeth. This process usually takes a few months. Your healing will be monitored by the dentist.
Step 3: Tooth Replacement
This is the step you’ve been waiting for! The dentist will create a custom crown for you that will look, feel, and act as your new tooth. If you are replacing more than one tooth then a bridge or denture may be needed instead of a crown.
What is most important about this step is that you will leave the dentist’s office with your new tooth. No one will be able to tell that you had a missing tooth in the first place. The process and procedure is complete. Congratulations!