Quality Dental Implants in Reno, NV
What Is A Dental Implant?
A dental implant is an option to replace a missing tooth. Dental implants are the closest thing you can get your natural, healthy teeth. Implants allow you to return to your normal routine of eating, smiling, laughing, and enjoying all of your everyday activities without being worried about your teeth.
Modern dental implants have been used successfully for more than 30 years, and are the strongest dental devices available to support replacement teeth.
What To Expect During A Dental Implant Procedure
Initially, you’ll have a consult at our office, in which the dentist will describe and walk you through the treatment process. A visual examine where a dental implant is being considered will be performed, and a set of Xrays will be taken. At this time, the quality of the jawbone is assessed to determine if more bone is needed to properly support the implant.
The first stage often involves a extracting an existing damaged tooth (broken or chipped). In order to prepare for placement of the dental implant, this tooth will need to be extracted.
Bone grafting is typically done to create a solid base of bone for the new dental implant. After the extraction and grafting, the surgery site will need to heal, which takes anywhere from two to six months. A site that has no tooth to extract, and bone loss is present, it will require a different bone graft that is placed on top of existing jawbone (onlay bone graft). This procedure is more involved and usually requires about six or more months of healing.
Once the surgical site has adequately healed and enough strong bone is present, the site is ready for the new implant. At your implant placement appointment, the dental implant is placed into the bone. A “healing cap” is placed over the implant, the gum is stitched up, and the healing phase begins.
Healing Time After A Dental Implant
Healing time depends greatly on the quality of bone present, but generally lasts anywhere from two to six months. This is an important step in the implant process, as the new implant becomes integrated with the bone. You will have aa follow-up appointment to examine the surgical site, ensure no infection is present, and the implant is healing/integrating properly.
After the required healing period, the dental implant will be tested to confirm whether it was successfully integrated with the surrounding bone. Once this has been confirmed, an “abutment is connected to the dental implant. This abutment will serve to hold the replacement tooth or “crown.” Then, we’ll take a mold of this abutment while in the mouth and have the new implant crown custom-made to fit you.
Schedule An Implant Consult
Are you considering a dental implant? Have some questions about the process? Contact our Reno dentist office today to schedule a consult.