People living with tooth loss no longer have to settle with replacement options such as bridges and dentures. Even if dentures are determined to be the appropriate solution for resolving your tooth loss, you don’t need to settle for traditional removable dentures. Today, people looking for permanent and potentially lifelong solutions for tooth loss can opt for dental implants that will support crowns directly in your jaw while restoring complete and natural dental function.
If a dentist near you confirms that dental implants are an appropriate solution for your tooth loss, the dentist will explain the procedure of getting implants carefully so you understand exactly what to expect. Your dentist will describe the traditional process involving several appointments over a month-long period and another alternative in which an implant and replacement crown can be placed in a single two-hour appointment. (Yes, you read that correctly.) Read on for more information about each option.
The traditional implant process
In the first surgery, a titanium post is implanted into your jawbone. Over a period of several months after that initial surgery, two things will happen. First, you’ll heal from the surgery. In some situations, a particularly lengthy healing period is required if the implant was not placed in the optimum location in your jaw. Second, that titanium post will bond to your jaw bone through a process called osseointegration.
Once the healing and osseointegration process are complete, the second stage of the traditional implant process will take place. An abutment will be connected to the top of the implant. That abutment connects a dental crown to replace your missing tooth with the titanium implant.
Dental implants are an incredibly effective procedure that provides long-lasting — and potentially permanent — solutions for tooth loss. The downside of the traditional procedure for providing dental implants in South Miami, though, is the amount of time that it takes to receive implants: at least two appointments separated by a several-month period. There is an alternative to that traditional process — one that provides dental implants near you in just one day.
The one-day implant process
Your dentist in South Miami will use CT scans and digitally generated three-dimensional scans of your jaw to allow precise planning of where to place a dental implant (or more than one implant) in your jaw. That computerized imaging and planning technology eliminates any guessing in favor of precise surgery and implantation.
In a single two-hour appointment, your dentist can extract an existing tooth (if required to accommodate an implant), insert an implant into your jaw, and place a crown in position. The advantage of this one-day implant process alternative is to reduce the months-long traditional process to a single two-hour appointment.
There is one important caveat read along with this brief introduction to the one-day implant process. The two-hour appointment described here will not be your first appointment. The imaging and treatment planning stages of the process will take place at prior appointments with your dentist in South Miami. While the implant and crown can be placed in a single appointment (compared to two appointments separated by several months in a traditional procedure), that will not be the only appointment you’ll have. The treatment planning stage using advanced imaging and simulation technologies is essential to a successful outcome.
Are dental implants right for you? And if so, is a same-day process appropriate for achieving your goals? Ask your dentist to confirm if you are a good candidate for implants and whether both procedures — traditional and same-day — are available in your situation.