|  | Dental Health | Dental Procedures

Teeth Implant Procedures

Dental Implants have been around since the 1960s and have gradually developed into the ideal substitute for the real thing. The procedures for installing these dental devices have also advanced and are now more mainstreamed than ever. Many patients can do this procedure on an outpatient basis. However, this depends on the type of implant the dentist recommends for the patient.

  1. Evaluation

    • A preoperative evaluation will need to be done for patients to find out if they are candidates for dental implants. There are many factors taken into consideration by the dentist, including the health of the jaw bone, bone strength, age of patient, and how long the patient has been without teeth. Several tests will be ordered by the dentist and these could include a dentascan, CT scan and blood work. The dentist will then discuss the possible options with the patient so that he understands what the choices of implants are.

    Bone Grafting

    • There are times when bone grafting is necessary to reconstruct a patient's jaw bone. Jaw bones may need reconstruction after a serious accident that caused bone loss or when a person has been wearing dentures for an extended period of time. If bone grafting needs to be done, this will be the first step of the process and it will lengthen the process. The website for the Mayo Clinic reports that most bone that is used in grafting is taken from another part of the person's body. Only a small amount of bone is necessary to achieve this goal. However, it does take time for the bone to heal and stabilize so the jaw bone can effectively hold the implant structures. This process can take four to six months.

    Screw Insertion

    • The website for the Mayo Clinic reports that the first step in dental implants is to insert a threaded titanium cylinder into the jaw bone. This is usually done in an outpatient procedure under local anesthetic, if just a few teeth are done, or general anesthetic and sedation if several teeth are being done.

    Bone Fusion

    • Once this first step is completed, the patient is sent home to rest and allow the implants to take hold or fuse with the bone. This wait time may generally take three to six months. The patient will have some stitches in the mouth and will be asked to take a few precautions (such as taking infection medication or using an oral rinse) to prevent infection of the implant sites.

    Post Fusion

    • Once the titanium cylinder and bone have fused together, a cap that resembles a tooth can be added. This is done so that the gums can form around a tooth-like structure. Once the gums have had time to heal around this new structure, the patient will be sent to a dental professional called a prosthodontist. At this point, the temporary cap will be removed and a new, permanent tooth will be added.

    Novum Implant Procedures

    • According to the website for the Mayo Clinic, some patients qualify for Novum implants. Novum is a procedure where the implant is inserted, the gums prepared and the tooth is attached all in one day. According to Howard A. Popper, D.D.S., Marlissa J. Popper, D.D.S., and Jason B. Popper, B.A., a prospective Novum patient must possess a jaw bone of adequate shape, height, width, bone density and enough space between the mental foramen on both sides. Dentascans are used to evaluate this in patients.

Dental Procedures - Related Articles