How to prepare for dental implant and What to Expect During a Dental Implants

Dental implant surgery

It is a procedure that can replace decayed or knocked out teeth with an artificial one. The treatment begins with titanium rods being inserted into the jaw bone over which crowns or bridge are attached. There are many dental clinics in and around London that offers this orthodontic procedure. The major benefit of this treatment is that not only it fills in the gap between your teeth but also provides support to the healthy teeth.

Why is this treatment needed?

Dental implants consist of titanium rods that are surgically implanted in your jaw line that serves as the roots of the missing teeth. It fuses with the jaw bone and reduces the chances of them coming out from your mouth, like in the case of dentures. These materials are not likely to get attacked by bacteria or any cavities.

Dental implants might be a good option for you:

• If you suffering from missing teeth

• If your jaw bone is completely developed

• If you have sufficient bone for implants and bone grafting

• If you have good oral health

• If you want to improve your speech

• If dentures are not an option for you

• If you suffering from any health conditions that might affect the healing procedure

Risks associated

Some of the risks and complications present in this treatment are:

• The implant site might get infected

• Surrounding teeth or blood vessel might be damaged during the procedure

• Nerve damage might be the reason of pain and numbness in your natural teeth

• It might aggravate your sinus cavity during the surgery

How to prepare for the procedure

1. Dental exam: The initial step that is mandated in any clinic for dental implants in London or elsewhere is consultation with the dentist. He or she might take X-rays or CT scans of your mouth to know the exact condition of your mouth.

2. Treatment plan: After the prior appointment with the dentist, he or she will prepare a detailed guide of how the treatment will span out. The planning will include consultation with various oral specialists who are experts on jaw, mouth and face and periodontists, who works with maintaining the structure and providing support to the teeth.

During your appointment with the dentist, let them know about your complete medical history and medication you take, such as over-the-counter drugs or any kind of supplements. If you are a heart specialist then he or she might prescribe you antibiotics that will help in preventing infection. During the surgery, you will be put under local anaesthesia or sedatives to help curb the pain. Talk to the oral specialist to know which option will be better in your case. The dental care specialist might instruct you about your diet before and after the surgery.

An outline of the treatment procedure

Treatment for dental implants in London or anywhere else, normally involves a surgical process at the outpatient department.

• As the first step, the damaged tooth is extracted.

• Next, the jawbone undergoes bone grafting – a medical procedure to prepare it for the surgery.

• There is a recess in treatment as the jawbone needs time to heal up from bone grafting.

• Then, the dental implant metal post is fitted to the jawbone, followed by another break in treatment to facilitate the healing process.

• In the next step, the oral surgeon places the crown, false tooth or abutment atop the implant metal post.

The treatment procedure often lasts for months at a stretch and much of this time is taken up by healing and growth of new bone in the patient’s jaw.

Cases where bone grafting becomes necessary

Our oral surgeons providing treatment for dental implants may suggest you to undergo bone grafting before the dental implant surgery to ensure success of the overall clinical procedure. The chewing action of the mouth exerts tremendous pressure on your jawbone. Thus, if there is not enough bone in the jaws to support the implant, the entire surgical process is more likely to fail. To avoid failure, bone grafting is done on selected patients to create a larger solid base for the implant.

Bone grafting procedure

Bone grafting for dental implants is a medical procedure that involves removing a tiny piece of bone from another body part, (mostly the hip) and transplanting it in your jawbone. Our dental experts not only provide some of the best dental implants, but also alternative treatment options like using commercially manufactured artificial bones for grafting.

Our expert will assess your case carefully and may even perform a minor bone grafting, which can be carried out at the same time as the implant surgery.

Correct placing of the oral implant

Dental implant surgery is an invasive procedure and our oral health expert will make a cut to open your gum and expose the supporting bone. Tiny holes will then be drilled on the exposed bone surface to place the metal post of the implant. The post will act as your tooth root and thus, they are usually implanted deep into the jawbone.

Even at this stage of the treatment, the gap in your mouth caused by the missing tooth will still exist. You may request a temporary denture from our oral surgeon to get the gap covered. This partial denture can be easily removed while brushing, flossing or sleeping.

Let the bone grow

Osseointegration is the process of growth and uniting of the jawbone with the surgically fitted dental implant. This procedure automatically starts, once the metal implant post is placed in your jawbone and it may continue for several months. In fact, this procedure provides the ideal base for the new artificial tooth, somewhat like the roots of your natural molars.

Placing the crown or abutment

After the osseointegration process gets over, a minor surgery is performed to place the abutment or false tooth. Our expert will administer local anaesthesia on you at the outpatient department before the procedure.

In order to correctly placing the abutment, our expert will reopen your gum to expose the dental implant metal post. After the artificial tooth is attached to the implant post, the surgical cut is then stitched up. You will not need to undergo this additional surgical procedure if the crown is placed at the time when the post is implanted.

Choose new artificial teeth

Once your gums are healed after the titanium rods are inserted into your jaw bone, artificial tooth can be attached. It is easy to make impressions of your mouth after the area to be treated is completely healed. These are used to make a crown that will act as the replacement of your natural teeth. It cannot be placed on the implant until your jaw bone is strong to provide support to use your new tooth.

Types of artificial teeth that can be used are:

1. Removable: It is similar to a traditional removable denture. It consists of an artificial white coloured tooth that is surrounded by gum made of pink plastic. It is attached to a metal frame that is fixed to the implant root. It can be removed easily for regular cleaning or repair purpose.

2. Fixed: Here, an artificial tooth is cemented or screwed into an implant abutment. It remains fixed to its position that cannot be removed before sleeping or for cleaning. You can even opt for this procedure to replace several missing teeth. These implants are strong and act same as natural teeth.

After the procedure

Dentists generally suggest that the patient should consume soft food until the treated area is completely healed.

Your dental surgeon might use dissolvable or normal stitches to in the area. If he or she uses stitches that are non-dissolving, then in the next appointment the dentist will remove it from your mouth.

There are some discomforts associated with the dental implant. Some of them are:

• Minor bleeding in the treated area

• Pain after the anesthetic wears off

• Swelling in your face and gums

• Minor bruising in your gums and skin

These symptoms are not potentially harmful and do not last for long. However, if these signs persist for longer than consulting an oral surgeon can help. He or she will be able to prescribe you antibiotics or pain medications as per your condition.

Some methods suggested by dental experts to maintain the implants are:

1. Practice dental hygiene: These implants need to be taken care of, just as your natural teeth. Use an interdental toothbrush that can help in cleaning the nooks between the teeth, metal posts and gums.

2. Visit your dentist regularly: Schedule appointment with your dentist in Tallahassee to ensure that your implants are functioning properly.

3. Avoid bad habits: Chewing on hard food items like ice or candy might cause harm and break your crowns. Your implants can be stained if you consume too much of caffeine based product and addicted to smoking.

Results

Most of the cases of dental implants are successful. However, there are some reports where the bone fails to fuse with the implant. Factors like smoking and heavy consumption of alcohol can be the reasons for complications and failure of the procedure. In case, the bone doesn’t fuse with the implant then it is removed and the area is cleaned. One can try for the procedure after 2 to 3 months. Our dental surgeons provide one of the best dental implants in London and elsewhere