Do you have a missing tooth and want to close that gap once and for all? Considering dental implants can be an excellent place to start. If you have lost, rotten, or broken teeth, dental implants can restore your smile permanently, allowing you to skip bridgework and dentures, which require adjustments from time to time.
However, if you get something as permanent as a dental implant, the process doesn’t happen overnight. At Goochland Dentistry, we have transformed many smiles in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia, with dental implants. With this in mind, Dr. Peter Murchie is more than happy to explain the step-by-step process of getting a dental implant.
The Dental Implant Process
A dental implant is a superior tooth replacement that replaces your tooth from the root to the crown. Dental implants are long-lasting, natural-looking, and easier to maintain. Here is the procedure for dental implant treatment:
- Initial consultation: It’s a standard procedure to explain the dental treatment before starting any treatment. This not only reduces nervousness but also gives you a hint of what to expect down the road. Before settling on the chair for dental treatment, we explain the procedure, cost, and treatment period. We also let you ask all the questions you might have about the process. The objective is to make you as comfortable as possible.
- Oral assessment: We will take X-rays and 3-D images of your teeth to design a treatment plan. Here, we want to ensure you have sufficient jaw bone to support an implant. We also review your medical history to rule out conditions that may affect the success of dental treatment.
- Pre-surgery preparations: Patients with severely damaged or decayed teeth will undergo tooth extraction. If you have an insufficient jawbone, bone grafting will be done to add density and volume to your jawbone.
- Implant placement: After numbing your mouth, we will reflect your gums and prepare a space in your jawbone to receive a titanium screw, which acts like your natural tooth root. Titanium has the amazing ability to “osseointegrate”- bone attaches and fuses to it.
- Healing: After surgery, recovery needs 4-6 months. During this period, tissue forms around the implant post through osseointegration. In simple terms, the titanium screw fuses with the bone to become part of the jawbone.
- Abutment and crown installation: After healing, you will return to our dental clinic to have an abutment and crown installed. An abutment anchors a crown to the implant. Finally, the most exciting step of the dental implant process. We install a natural-looking dental crown or any other “false” tooth to complete the dental implant treatment.
The dental implant process takes a few months, but the wait is well worth it. You get a tooth replacement designed to imitate your natural teeth in all ways, from looks to performance.
Dental implants in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia
Want to replace your missing teeth with dental implants? Please dial (804) 206 9455 to book an appointment with Goochland Dentistry for affordable and long-lasting dental implants.
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