Dental implant surgery is a procedure that replaces tooth roots with metal, screw-like posts made of Titanium or Zirconia which replaces damaged or missing teeth with artificial teeth that look and function much like real ones.
How dental implant surgery is performed depends on the type of implant and the condition of your jawbone. Dental implant surgery may involve several procedures. The major benefit of implants is solid support for your new teeth — a process that requires the bone to heal tightly around the implant. Because this bone healing requires time, the process can take many months.
The process of getting implants requires a few visits over several months.
- X-rays and/or a Dental CT scan (CBCT) are taken of the jaw and teeth to determine bone width and height, and spacing available for implants, as well location of important structures such as nerves and the floor of the sinus
- While the area is numb, the implant will be surgically placed into the bone and allowed to heal and integrate itself onto the bone for up to 4 months.
- Depending on the type of implant, a second surgery “uncovery or second stage” may be required to place a Healing Abutment ( Healing Post)
- Within a few weeks, the general dentist starts to make the dental implant custom abutment and dental implant crown