What Is The Procedure For Fitting A Dental Implant?
The best method of tooth replacement available these days is dental implant treatment
which has proved to be a much better method of tooth replacement than dentures and bridges. Not only do they slow down bone loss in the jaw and have no negative impact on neighbouring teeth but they also offer a more long term solution to the problem of tooth replacement.
Before any drilling into the patient's jaw can take place, they need to be tested for gum disease and tooth decay. If there are any signs of these ailments then the dentist will have to treat them first. The next stage is to x-ray and CT scan the patient to see if there are any objects in the jaw that need to be avoided during the drilling process.
Most patients have a local anaesthetic before the treatment takes place but it is sometimes necessary to sedate the patient if they are particularly nervous. The treatment can then begin.
In the first part of the surgical procedure, the gum is lifted and cut in order to allow a small hole to be drilled into the jawbone. The titanium implant is then fitted tightly into this hole and the gum is then patched up again. If the bone material in the desired location is not sufficient, a bone graft may be needed or a 'mini-implant' might have to be fitted instead.
There then follows a period of healing, and the implant is left to integrate with the bone tissue in the jaw. This can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months. In this period it is usual for the patient to be given a temporary false tooth to wear. When the area has healed the patient will have some more surgery to lift the gum once more and fix a post to the titanium implant to which a temporary crown can be fitted. It is only when the gum has completely healed that a permanent false tooth can be added.