A Closer Look at the 5 Steps of the Dental Implant Procedure

Has your dentist recommended the use of dental implants to either replace missing teeth or support your dentures? If so, you may be wondering what you can expect throughout the course of this procedure. In this article, you will be able to learn more about five of the steps involved in the dental implant procedure. 

Step 1: Taking Impressions

Before any work is done on your teeth, your dentist will begin this procedure by taking impressions of both your teeth and the surrounding gum tissue. These impressions allow the dental lab to create crowns or dentures that perfectly match the shape and size of your natural teeth. The process of taking these impressions is completely noninvasive and should only take a few minutes to complete. 

Step 2: Extracting Teeth And Doing Bone Grafts If Necessary

The next visit that your dentist will schedule for you will be to perform any pre-surgery procedures that must be completed. This will include extracting any natural teeth that are being replaced with implants and performing any bone grafts that may be necessary to strengthen the jaw before implants are placed. In most cases, dentists will require you to completely heal from these procedures before moving on to the next step in getting your dental implants.

Step 3: Surgical Placing Implants

At this point in the process, you are ready to have your implants surgically placed in your jaw. This part of the dental implant procedure will require you to be placed under general anesthesia so you will need to have someone accompany you to this appointment in order to drive you home. While you may experience some mild pain and discomfort after this part of the procedure, most people experience very little downtime and are able to return to work in just a day or two. 

Step 4: Healing 

While your downtime after surgery may be quite short, the amount of time it takes for your jawbone to heal around your new implants can be significantly longer. In some cases, this part of the process will take a few months to complete. Unfortunately, you cannot move on to the final stage in the process until your bone has completely healed. You should expect to visit your dentist every few weeks in order to monitor your condition since each person will heal at their own rate. 

Step 5: Attaching Dental Crown Or Dentures

Once your jawbone has healed around your implants, you will be ready for the final step in this process. If you are replacing just one or even a few teeth, this part of the process will involve placing dental crowns on top of your implants in order to act as your new replacement teeth. However, if you are replacing all of your upper or lower teeth, this part of the process will include having a denture secured to the implants. 

To learn more about dental implants, contact a local dentist's clinic such as Bremen Family Dentistry, PC.