How are dental implants secured?

A dental implant is a procedure of tooth root replacement that replaces damaged or missing teeth with artificial teeth that work exactly like natural teeth. Dentures or bridges that don’t fit properly can be replaced with dental implants.

Securing Dental Implants
In dental implants, the roots of missing teeth are surgically implanted into your jawbone. Due to the titanium in implants, the implants will not slip, make noise or damage your jawbone the way dentures or fixed bridgework might. Furthermore, the materials are not susceptible to decay.

Placing the Dental Implant: When your oral surgeon places a dental implant, they open your gums to expose your bone. To secure the metal post in the dental implant, holes are drilled into the bone. Posts are implanted deep in the bone to serve as tooth roots.

Waiting for bones to grow: The osseointegration process begins once the metal post is inserted into your jawbone. Dental implants become embedded into and fused to the jawbone during this process. As roots do for natural teeth, this process provides a solid base for your new artificial tooth.

Abutment Placement
You will need additional surgery to place the abutment after osseointegration is complete. The abutment is the piece where the crown will eventually be attached. Local anesthesia is typically used in this minor surgery.

Placing the abutment:

• The oral surgeon exposes the dental implant by reopening your gums.
• A dental implant is attached to an abutment.
• After this is done, the gum tissue is closed around, but not over, the abutment.

Some dental implant metal posts are implanted with the abutment attached to them. That means there is no need for an additional surgical procedure. Despite this, the abutment is visible when one opens their mouth because it extends beyond the gum line – and it will remain that way until the dental implant is finished. The abutment can be inserted in a separate procedure for those who don’t like that look.

To attach the artificial tooth, your gums must heal for about two weeks after the abutment has been placed. After the gum is healed properly, the dentist proceeds with placing the artificial tooth of your choice. 

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!