Dental implant surgeries are an outpatient surgical procedure performed in the dental offices. The procedural methods and techniques varies depending on the doctor, the patient's condition, and the technology implemented in treating the patient.
Diagnosis & Treatment PlanningYour dental professional will first perform an initial consultation by taking an x-ray to have a visual image of your anatomy for optimal treatment planning. With this, your doctor will thoroughly evaluate the patient’s general and local health conditions, biomechanical & anatomical structure and the treatment certainties & uncertainties. Based on the information gathered, your doctor will determine the best course of treatment. At the discretion of the doctor, a 3D CT scan is used alongside virtual planning software to design the implant placement and the replacement teeth, even before the procedure itself starts.
Dental Implant PlacementPrior to the surgery, you will receive a local anesthesia [and possibly a general anesthesia and/or sedation] to make sure you have a pain-free experience. Once the anesthesia kicks in, you are ready for the surgical aspect of implant treatment. Your doctor will start with an incision to expose the underlying bone. Through series of drilling, the implant site is prepared. Once the appropriate socket size is achieved, the implant will be placed. After the implant is securely embedded in the bone, the doctor may close and suture the soft tissue. Generally, the entire process is pain-free and minimally invasive.
Healing and OsseointegrationFollowing the surgery, you will need to give some time to heal. The length of healing time varies from person to person. The healing stage is when the newly placed implant is left undisturbed for several weeks to a few months to allow sufficient time for it to completely and biologically integrated with the living bone. In the meantime, a temporary restoration can be provided so that you would not have to leave the office toothless. Furthermore, your doctor will advise you on the proper post-operative care to ensure the healing process is optimized. It is extremely important to maintain a diligent oral hygiene care.
Final RestorationAfter the healing phase, the doctor will proceed with the fabrication of the final restoration. An impression of your mouth will be taken to identify the position and the orientation of your implant, as well as the hard and soft tissue formation. With this impression, the dental lab will know exactly how to create a prosthesis that will harmoniously fit with your surrounding teeth and soft tissues. The final prosthesis will be placed into the patient’s mouth to complete the dental implant treatment.
Dental implant surgeries are an outpatient surgical procedure performed in the dental offices. The procedural methods and techniques varies depending on the doctor, the patient's condition, and the technology implemented in treating the patient.
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Overdenture
Over a period of time, the jawbone associated with missing teeth becomes deteriorated. This often leaves a condition in which there is poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for placement of dental implants. Bone grafting allows the ability to grow bone where needed. This not only gives us the opportunity to place implants of proper length and width, it also gives us a chance to restore functionality and esthetic appearance.
Autogenous bone, also known as autograft, are bone harvested from your own body. The highest success rates in bone grafting have been achieved with autografts, because these is no immune reaction and the microscopic architecture is perfectly matched.
Allografts are bone derived from another person, usually from a human cadaver. This type of bone undergoes many different treatment sequences in order to become neutral to immune reactions and to avoid cross contamination of host diseases.
Xenografts are bone derived from animals. Due to the high similarly of the xenograft to the human bone in terms of structure and biocompatibility, it is an excellent source of hard tissue for bone graft surgeries.
Synthetic bone, also known as alloplastic, are artificially produced bone material that are highly biocompatible and works extremely well in simulating natural bone growth. Since it is not derived from organic sources, it is 100% safe and contamination free.
Bone Graft Surgery is a vital part of dental implant surgery and restoration. Without sufficient bone quantity and quality, it is impossible to achieve the functional and esthetic results. With today’s high quality products, technology and proven techniques, bone graft surgery is safe, effective and in many cases, necessary.
Ridge Augmentation Patients with insufficient bone mass for dental implant placement need the Ridge Augmentation Procedure. This is where bone grafts are added to thicken the mass of the patient jaw bone.
Volume Maintenance Depending on situations, bone can get resorbed, compromising the functionality and the esthetic of the dental implant restoration. To avoid this, bone grafts are used to maintain the bone volume.
Sinus Lift Surgery When placing the implant in the maxilla (upper jaw), the sinus membrane can be in the way and requires it to be lifted. Once lifted, the cavity is filled with bone graft to support the dental implant.