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What Are the Steps in a Endosseous Dental Implant?

Dental implants are fast becoming the treatment of choice for tooth replacement. While bridges may lead to deterioration of bone beneath the gums, and damage to adjacent healthy teeth, a dental implant avoids such problems by inserting an artificial "root" (the dental implant cylinder) directly into the upper or lower jaw bones. Whenever an object is placed directly in bone, it is called endosseous. Several steps are involved in an endosseous dental implant.

  1. A Waiting Game

    • After a thorough dental examination which determines dental implants are the proper choice, placement typically will take from three to nine months. Much of this time will be spent waiting and healing from surgery.

    Bone Graft

    • If your bone has deteriorated at the implant site, your first step will be a bone graft. A piece of bone from another part of your body will be transplanted to create a solid base for the implant. Minor bone grafting can be done at the time of the implant; however, for a more extensive graft, healing will have to follow, and can take six to nine months to become able to support an implant. After each stage of surgery, food and drink are generally restricted for several days.

    Outpatient Surgery

    • When your jawbone is ready for the implant, surgery can be scheduled. It will occur in either a hospital or the dental office, but, in either case, is outpatient surgery. First, a local or general anesthetic or sedative will be applied. Eating or drinking beforehand may be restricted; ask your doctor or dentist.

    Implant Placement

    • An incision is cut into the gum and holes are drilled into the mandible or maxilla. The surgeon next inserts the cylinder. A post protrudes from the hole, but, at this point, the artificial tooth is not yet applied. Sometimes, a temporary denture may be mounted on the post. This should be removed nightly for cleaning and sleeping.

    Bone Fuses with Implant

    • While healing occurs around the cylinder, the waiting game begins. The jawbone will actually grow into the implant within two to six months. It is important not to rush this step as the implant must provide a solid base for the prosthetic tooth.

    Additional Surgery

    • Once healing has taken place, additional surgery may be needed if your dental implant did not include the post or abutment. This surgery, however, is minor and is usually done in the dentist's office. This step, if necessary, requires an additional two weeks of healing.

    Prosthetic Tooth

    • When your implant is ready for the placement of a prosthetic tooth, an impression of your mouth and teeth will be made. This impression will be used to create one of two types of prosthesis: a removable one, or a fixed one. For a removable artificial tooth, a perfectly fitting crown will be made and mounted onto a metal frame. This frame will snap onto the implant post and stay safely in place. However, it can be removed for repair or replacement and daily cleaning. This choice is more affordable than a permanent dental implant. A fixed artificial tooth is a permanent solution (usually lasting 20 years or more). It is screwed or cemented onto the implant post, and cannot be removed for cleaning.

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