Overview of Implant Placement
The procedure to place an implant takes 30 to 60 minutes for one implant and only two to three hours for multiple implants. The number of appointments and time required vary from patient to patient. Dr. Gibbs will bring great precision and attention to the details of your case.
Prior to surgery, you may elect to have sedation to reduce anxiety and comfort. Antibiotics are used for the week after placement and in certain situations starting a day prior. These options are discussed with you at your consultation appointment. A local anesthetic will be administered to numb the area where the implant will be placed. Typically placement of an implant is much less traumatic than extraction of a tooth.
When you are comfortable, the surgeon makes a small incision in the gum tissue to reveal the bone, creates space using special instruments, and gently inserts the titanium implant. The top of this implant is often visible through the gum. Sometimes it is better in the early stages of healing to have the implant covered by the gum tissue.
1. Normal
2. Tooth Loss
3. Healed Bone
4. Implant Placed
5. Healing
6. Implant Restored
The Healing Phase
The procedure to place an implant takes 30 to 60 minutes for one implant and only two to three hours for multiple implants. The number of appointments and time required vary from patient to patient. Dr. Gibbs will bring great precision and attention to the details of your case.
Prior to surgery, you may elect to have sedation to reduce anxiety and comfort. Antibiotics are used for the week after placement and in certain situations starting a day prior. These options are discussed with you at your consultation appointment. A local anesthetic will be administered to numb the area where the implant will be placed. Typically placement of an implant is much less traumatic than extraction of a tooth.
When you are comfortable, the surgeon makes a small incision in the gum tissue to reveal the bone, creates space using special instruments, and gently inserts the titanium implant. The top of this implant is often visible through the gum. Sometimes it is better in the early stages of healing to have the implant covered by the gum tissue.
Dental Implants Presentation
To provide you with a better understanding of dental implants, we have provided the following multimedia presentation. Many common questions pertaining to dental implants are discussed.
When Are Dental Implants Placed?
Implants are often placed several months after extraction. At times, an implant may be placed immediately after extraction of a tooth. This greatly simplifies the process—you won’t have to wait for another appointment to place the implant and the process is shortened. When infection or other problems with the bone are present, immediate implant placement may not the best treatment.
If your tooth has been missing for some time, the adjacent support bone is likely to grow thinner and shrink. This occurs because the root of the natural tooth has to be present to stimulate and maintain the bone. As much as one third of your jaw’s thickness can be lost in the year following tooth extraction. If you are missing enough bone, you may benefit from having additional bone grafted into the area. This ensures the implant will be adequately supported when it is placed in the jaw.
How Many Implants Do I Need?
Most frequently, one implant per missing tooth is placed. Because many of the larger teeth in the back of your jaws have two or three roots, the most common approach is to replace missing back teeth with larger implants. Implants can also be used like teeth in a bridge setup where two implants may support a fixed bridge of three or four teeth depending on the bone in the area.