Dental implant procedure
How your dental implant surgery is carried out will depend on the type, brand and number of implants being placed – not to mention the condition of your bone. That said, the main benefit of implant surgery is to provide solid support for natural-looking artificial teeth.
Placing dental implants involves a surgical procedure that aims to replace tooth roots with metal screwlike posts that act as an artificial anchors for crowns, dentures and bridges.
Dental implants offer a promising alternative to loose and uncomfortable dentures or bridgework that not only affects quality of life but your oral health condition too. Depending on your case, the surgery might involve several procedures.
Implants are incredibly strong
- Can last a lifetime with the right care and attention
- Can support multiple crowns through bridging
- Costs include crown, abutment and implant
What's the procedure like?
Firstly, as there are usually several stages involved, the dental implant surgery is performed as an outpatient, which allows adequate healing time between each step of the procedure.
The implant surgery is broken down into multiple steps, which include:
- The removal of existing damaged or rotten teeth.
- The preparation and build up of low jaw bone density using grafting techniques.
- Allowing time for bone growth (if applicable).
- The placement of your dental implant.
- A break of 3-6 months to allow for osseointegration (essential healing).
- Placement of abutment.
- Artificial tooth placement
The entire dental implant process can take several months from start to finish – patients should bear in mind that it’s not an instant fix to missing teeth. Implants need time to fuse with your jawbone to do the job they’re specially designed to do. Patients looking for something more immediate can explore the revolutionary All-on-4 method.
That said, depending on your specific case, we might be able to cross off several steps in one sitting.
Each stage explained
During the implant surgery, your implant dentist and surgeon will make a cut to your gum to expose the underlying bone.
Now, the next bit sounds worse than it actually is. We’ll drill holes into the bone to fix the dental implant post deep into the bone. Whilst this might sound painful, you should know that any pain experienced will be from work to the soft tissues rather than the bone.
Following this stage of the surgery, patients will still have a gap where their missing tooth is, which can be covered with a partial denture, if needed.
Once we have placed the metal implant post into the jaw, the critical healing stage of osseointegration begins.
During the healing process, the bone unites with the surface of your implant and fuses around it – keeping it stable and secure. Osseointegration can take a minimum of 3 months to finalise and is a stage that cannot be rushed as it will provide the solid base for your improved artificial teeth to anchor to.
After the healing stage, an additional surgery might be required to place the abutment (the piece that your crown, bridge or denture will attach to). It will be a minor surgery, performed again under local anaesthesia.
How we place the abutment:
- The oral surgeon will reopen the gum to expose the nicely positioned and healed implant.
- The abutment is then fixed to the dental implant.
- We’ll then partially close the gum tissue – in some cases we can attach the abutment to the implant post when it is implanted – avoiding the additional surgical procedure.
- The abutment will just pass your gumline so when you open your mouth it will be slightly visible, which will stay that way until we complete the final tooth prosthesis.
- It will take roughly round two weeks for the gums to heal after the abutment placement. Then, the artificial tooth can be attached.
After your gums have healed, we’ll take impressions of your remaining teeth, which are used to make the crown aka your realistic-looking artificial tooth.
This crown cannot be placed until all healing stages have completed as the jawbone must be strong enough to support the new tooth.
Patients can choose between fixed prosthesis (permanently screwed or cemented) or removable (conventional denture that’s mounted to a metal frame).
After surgery you’ll be advised to take over the counter pain medications and antibiotics. It’s also highly recommended to eat soft foods whilst your surgical site heals.
Whether your surgery is completed in one or multiple stages, you’ll likely experience typical discomforts like:
- Gum and face swelling
- Bruising to your gums
- Pain at the implant site
- Minor bleeding
New patients
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Is the procedure painful?
How painful implant surgery will depend on your pain threshold as well as your perception of the dentist. How one person perceives pain will be different to the next. That said, the procedure is relatively painless and completed under local anaesthetic.
However, particularly nervous patients can explore IV sedation, which makes for a painless, relaxed experience, where patients won’t remember the treatment. No memories, no pain.
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How patients can prepare
As the implant process is not a short one, when you’ve found the right implant dentist you trust, you’ll both work together to prepare you for the surgery.
You’ll undergo x-rays, impressions and assessments that come together to form a treatment plan that will breakdown each stage of your treatment. You’ll be told what to do before surgery and be provided aftercare instructions post-surgery.
Choosing to delay surgery can cause oral health problems that cause further bone reduction, facial sagging, gum disease, tooth decay and further tooth loss.
You’ll be recommended a bone graft if your jawbone density is low. Implants are at risk to fail when there is not a sufficient amount of bone to secure them in place.
A bone graft will add more time to your treatment plan, as we will have to wait for the area to heal before we can place the implant itself. This can take several months. In some cases, bone grafting can be completed the same time as surgery. More.
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- Saturday: 09.00 – 13.00 (By appointment only)
- Sunday: Closed
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