A Laguna Woods implant dentist sees many people who are missing teeth. That’s a situation that can throw your bite out of alignment and even change the shape of your face.
Missing molars can make you self-conscious too.
Choosing to replace missing teeth can mean opting for dental implants. Here’s what you need to know about how the procedure works.
Removing any damaged teeth is the first step.
Removing any damaged teeth is the first step.- Deciding if you might need a bone graft comes next. Your jawbone needs to be able to support these titanium posts so they function correctly. If the bone in your jaw isn’t thick enough, a bone graft might be necessary.
- During the surgery itself, A Laguna Woods implant dentist will make an incision into your gums. Holes are drilled into your jawbone and then the post gets placed.
- Osseointegration is the process whereby your jawbone grows together with this implant. It can take several months.
- The abutment gets placed next. This is the part of the procedure where this piece gets attached so the crown can rest on top.
Once everything heals up, more impressions are made of your remaining teeth and mouth. After that, you can start looking at different options for your artificial teeth. These can include:
- Fixed dental implants whereby the artificial tooth is permanently cemented or screwed into an abutment. Keep in mind with this type you can’t remove them when you’re sleeping or to clean them. Most often, each individual crown is attached to one individual implant.
- The removal type is similar to conventional dentures. The artificial teeth are surrounded by a pink foundation that resembles your natural gum. Everything is mounted on a metal frame and gets attached to the implant abutment.
Following is what needs to be done after your dental implant surgery.
Recovery After Dental Implant Surgery
The recovery period is different for each patient. Removing just one tooth and replacing it means quicker recovery times. Those times are much longer if you need a bone graft and several teeth replaced.
Many people will feel a little bruising and swelling as well as some localized pain afterward. Usually, that discomfort doesn’t require anything more than over-the-counter medication.
A Laguna Woods implant dentist will tell you that these symptoms start to decline going into your third-day post-surgery.