When gum disease, tooth decay, injury, or infection leads to the loss of one or more teeth, dental implants serve as a solution. These teeth are set into the jawbone using a titanium post, and they’re affixed with a crown to look just like natural teeth. They can be taken care of just as you’d care for natural teeth, and they are used to chew effectively and comfortably no matter what sorts of foods you like to eat.
While dental implants are an excellent solution for many, most don’t know a whole lot about the procedure. This state of unknowing can reasonably lead to quite a bit of anxiety for Logan, Utah patients. Demystifying the dental implant process by breaking it down step by step helps to make patients far more comfortable with the experience.
Before having the dental implant procedure, patients will first consult with their Logan, Utah dentist to ensure this is the right solution for them. While dental implants are an excellent option for most, they may not be suitable for those who smoke, those going through cancer treatments, or those with certain bone conditions. During this consultation, your dentist will take X-rays, explain to you the treatment process, and answer any questions you may have.
Before the procedure, patients may need to take antibiotics for a few days to ensure any infection is cleared and the implants will be less likely to be rejected. If general anesthesia is to be given, patients will need to abstain from food from midnight the night before their procedure. If local anesthetic is used, patients should have a light meal a few hours before their procedure. Your Logan, Utah dentist will make clear what steps they wish to take.
On the day of the procedure, you’ll be given anesthetic (either local or general) to ensure complete comfort during the placement of your implant. Your dentist will create a small incision into the gums to place the implant post into the jawbone where a tooth root would be, then close this incision to allow the new post to fuse to the bone. On the post an abutment will be placed, this is the area that will be attached to your new crown. Once the bone has fused around the post, a crown will be placed to serve as your new tooth surface.
Once healed, which typically takes a period of some months, the new tooth may be used just like the natural tooth that came before.
