Dental implants are a permanent solution for replacing missing or damaged teeth, offering a natural appearance and lasting durability. The process involves surgically placing a titanium post into the jawbone, which acts as an artificial tooth root and supports a custom-made crown. While the full treatment may take several months, dental implants help preserve bone health, maintain facial structure, and restore full function to your smile.
Benefits of Dental Implants include:
The dental implant process involves several steps that can take anywhere from 4 to 8 months or longer, depending on the complexity and whether bone grafting or other procedures are needed. Here’s a breakdown of the process:
If you’re replacing a damaged tooth, the dentist may need to extract it before proceeding with the implant.
Once the implant is securely fused with the bone, a small connector piece called a healing abutment is attached to the implant. In some cases, a cover screw is required instead of a healing abutment. This is determined at the time of implant placement surgery by Dr. Weininger. Both a cover screw or a healing abutment is needed to protect the internal threads of the implant while you heal. These internal threads are needed for the crown placement. However, a cover screw will not be visible to the patient, because it is sutured under the gum tissue while healing. A healing abutment (gingiva former) will be visible as the surrounding tissue is sutured around the abutment allowing the tissue to heal in the shape of the exposed abutment area. This allows easy access to the implant at the time of crown fabrication and placement. Cover screw placement requires an additional but minimal surgical intervention to expose the cover screw and place a healing abutment. This step will also need necessary healing time before crown placement can be completed.
Weininger Dental offers a variety of dental services in New Philadelphia, Oh.
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