Process of getting Dental Implants

Congratulations. You’re making a life-changing decision, one that will renew your self-confidence and enhance your quality of life. With dental implants, you’ll correct your oral health problems including failing teeth, bad teeth, missing teeth, gum disease, and/or bad breath. Whether you replace a single tooth, multiple teeth or all your teeth, or if you want to do away with old dentures or partials, you can.

Here’s what to expect from the dental implant specialists at Dental Associates:
• Complimentary dental implant consultation
• Dental examination
• Dental implant placement procedures
• Restorative process
• Fabrication of permanent replacement teeth
• Maintenance & follow-up

Surgical and restorative procedures vary slightly depending on the treatment options and the number of teeth affected. If you’re missing all your teeth, or have dentures you want to replace, you may be a perfect candidate for the All-on-4 procedure.

Complimentary dental implant consultation

After your initial inquiry, the next step is a consultation with a patient education specialist and a member of our clinical staff. Together we will determine your needs, assess your oral health, review your personal situation, discuss your medical history, and introduce treatment options based on your needs and your lifestyle. We will also review financing and timing. This consultation may also include digital imaging or other forms of examination utilizing the latest technology to help us give a complete synopsis of your case. This is all free. It costs you absolutely nothing. We have this technology right in our own facility. You never have to visit another clinic or dental office. This appointment may take 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the case itself. And remember, the consultation and imaging is complimentary.

Dental examination

Once your procedure is scheduled, your doctor will evaluate the area(s) of your mouth where teeth are missing, including the amount of bone available to support the placement of dental implants. Your doctor will also evaluate the quality and density of the bone in your jaw. This involves a 3D CT scan, and may include taking models of your teeth (called impressions) so that your doctor can create the ideal treatment plan for your specific condition. If you’re missing all your teeth, you may be scheduled for a consultation with a team of doctors who will review your case together and offer you the best treatments and plan of action as a team.

Your doctor will also determine whether additional procedures may be needed to obtain the desired function and aesthetic result. If you’ve already lost a significant amount of bone, your doctor will evaluate the possibility of grafting procedures to add bone, or create new bone. We want you smiling again completely and for a lifetime, so you can expect a very thorough examination. And we’ll walk you through every step of the exam, so you know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. This appointment may take one hour or a little more.

Dental implant placement procedure

It may sound too good to be true, but it’s not... all you need to do is come into Dental Associates, sit down, and relax. In most situations, a 3D CT scan is used with virtual planning software to plan the implant placement and the design of the replacement teeth, even before the procedure itself starts. This is done after the initial examination and, if needed, allows for temporary replacement teeth to be ready for you the day of surgery.

And be assured that you will get outstanding, professional care. First, you’ll be made comfortable with the recommended sedation option. If necessary, any tooth extractions that need to be done will be done just prior to implant placement. After any teeth are removed, dental implants will be placed in the jaw bone using a gentle surgical technique. Replacement teeth will then be placed onto the implants. You’ll leave the office with your teeth, all in one appointment!

In some instances, you and your doctor may decide that a more traditional approach to implant placement is best. With a traditional type procedure, after the implants are placed, they will be left undisturbed for a period of several weeks to a few months while the surrounding bone and soft tissue heal. During this bone-remodeling phase, the bone will grow and the tissue will shape around the implants to form a strong biological bond. Temporary teeth will be placed on the implants, though, so you will never leave the office without teeth.