The Dental Implant Procedure
Having Dental Implants is quite a lengthy process. It is accomplished in two phases, which must be separated by a ‘healing period’ of several months.
During the first phase of treatment you will be thoroughly checked-over and a panoramic X Ray of your mouth will be taken. This will enable you and the Professor to plan your treatment in detail.
Next comes the actual implantation procedure. Depending on how many implants you are having you will be given either a local or general anaesthetic. If you have a local anaesthetic you will be given a sedative as well.
The implantation operation is carried out under strict hygienic conditions. The Professor will open the gum at the site of the implant and, using a low speed drill will make a hole in the jawbone. The implant is screwed into place. A temporary healing cap is placed in its centre. The site of the implant is closed and sutured.
The Professor insists on making post-operative checks over the next couple of days and after the wound is healed will remove the stitches. This completes the first phase.
A healing period now follows. This is necessary so that the living bone can ‘ossify’ around the implant so that the anchor is really ‘set’ in place and better able to withstand the pressures exerted on it once the crown is attached.
After three / six months the second phase can begin. First the Professor makes a small opening in the gum to uncover the implant. The healing cap is removed and an ‘abutment’ or post is screwed into the implant.
After a day or two castings and impressions of your teeth and gums are made. The Professor takes a great deal of trouble to get a really accurate set of impressions. These are then sent to the dental lab who will use them to make the crowns or the bridge to your exact measurements.
When the dental lab has completed its work the Professor Szabo will fit the new crowns or bridge. Again, this is a quite painstaking process as your new teeth are adjusted to give the optimum bite. The Professor may well want to see you the next day, after you have had some time to get used to your new teeth so that final adjustments can be made.
Bone Grafting
Where teeth were lost some time ago and much bone has also been lost, Implantation is still possible; but the bone loss must be compensated for. The jawbone can be augmented with synthetic material to replace missing bone. With the upper jaw it may also be necessary to lift the floor of the sinus cavity to make room for the additional material.
Read More About Bone Grafting
Read More About Sinus Lift |
