Introduction
A dental implant is a support (like a tooth root) that is placed into the jawbone beneath the gum line that allows the dentist to replace tooth or a bridge or support a denture in that area.
How implants are placed?
Before any implants are placed, it is important to assess the health of your bone in missing teeth area. If there are any signs of gum disease it must first be treated. Thereafter, the treatment will be planned with x-rays and, in some cases, blood investigations and a CT scan to assess the bone quality and check for nearby anatomical structures.
The basic dental implant procedure involves a small incision being made in the gum line after that, a space is made in jawbone where titanium implant will be placed. This is done under local anaesthesia and once the area becomes numb patient is comfortable during the whole procedure.
The dental implant and jawbone need time to fuse together and become stable before the final tooth is fitted, this is called Osseointegration. Osseointegration is vital for the success of dental implant treatment. Sometimes “bone graft” or “sinus lift” is necessary and accordingly treatment time may vary from person to person. The time of healing and bone fusion ranges from six weeks to six months. However in certain situation, tooth can be placed instantly over dental implants, which is called as “Immediate Implant.”
