If you have been considering the option of dental implants, you may already know that implants are the next best thing to your own natural teeth. You may have hesitated to go forward with implants however, due to the time consuming process. You might be pleased to learn that a new dental implant technique has shortened the usual months-long process considerably. Read on for more information about this new technique.
Traditional dental implants involve several steps to accomplish.
- First your teeth are imaged and a plan is made for the implants.
- The titanium posts are surgically inserted into your gums. Temporary, removable artificial teeth are provided for cosmetic purposes until your implants can be finished.
- Your gums must now fully heal and allow the posts to bond with your natural bone, which takes two to four months.
- You return after healing and are fitted with your new teeth. The posts that have been inserted are topped with another post and then capped with the artificial tooth.
The good news is that now you can have what is being called "same-day implants" or "all on 4". This procedure shortens the process by accomplishing several steps in the same day, but there is one important caveat: You must have at least four teeth in a row that need to be replaced.
The step being skipped in this quicker implant process is the time for ossification of the titanium post. The bonding that takes place makes the implant stable for a lifetime of use, and a single artificial tooth placed on the post is unstable and vulnerable to force and movement. Add three more artificial teeth to that same implant, and you get the strength in numbers necessary for a more stable bite. The ossification still takes place of course, but with the artificial teeth now in place.
Some things to know about this process:
- You must have good bone structure in the implant area for the bonding to take place, which imaging will detect.
- If you are not missing four teeth, you do have the option of having teeth removed. While this may seem a drastic measure, the trade-off is being able to walk out of the dental office with new teeth instead of waiting for months. The implant process can be done on gums with a newly removed tooth.
- You will require a visit prior to the implantation day for impressions so that your new teeth will be ready.
If you qualify for this new procedure, it can be a wonderful way to quickly return your smile to it's brilliant original state. Talk to your dentist to see if this option will work for you.
