Dental implants allow you to replace missing teeth with the most permanent option available. A metal post is implanted right into your jawbone of the missing tooth, allowing your bone to heal around the post, holding it into place. There is now a more advanced method of performing dental implants, called a computer-guided dental implant procedure.
This provides the fastest and least invasive implant procedure so far:
Preparations
The first step to getting computer-guided implant surgery performed is getting your mouth ready. X-rays need to be done first so the dentist can be sure you have an adequate amount of jawbone to support the implant.
If not, you will first need to get bone grafts done, otherwise the implant procedure will fail. Once the right amount of bone is present, impressions are taken of your other teeth and jaw in order to get the right shape and location of your new replacement teeth.
Lab Work
After this initial prep work is done, you will return to the radiologist's office to have a cone beam CT scan done. This allows them to get more digital information about your jaw bone, which is used during the computer-guide procedure. After this visit, you return home and the dental lab gets to work. They will process the information they received from the CT scan by making a 3D virtual model of your jaw and jawbone.
The Implant Process
A few weeks after the lab has completed the virtual model of your jaw, you return to the dentist for the dental implant procedure. No incisions are used for the computer-guided procedure. It is very minimally invasive, where the computer program uses the 3D model to position the metal post at just the right position within your jawbone. The tools go directly through your gums in order to reach the bone, so major incisions are not needed.
Once the post has been installed in your jawbone, a surgical template is put over the nearby teeth. This is similar to a night guard, and protects the area from infection. You may also have some stabilization pins used to keep the guide in the right position.
After the Procedure
Since no major incisions are used for the computer-guided implant process, you will be able to return home shortly after the procedure. You may feel mild discomfort or pressure, but not severe pain. You now have to wait a few months for osseointegration to occur. This is the process of the jaw bone fusing together with the metal post in order to hold it in place. You will return to the dentist once it has healed completely for the abutment and crown to be placed on top of the post.
To learn more, contact a company like Glenn L. Sperbeck DDS Inc. with any questions you have.
Share30 January 2015
Halloween is a holiday that my children love, and telling them they can't go door-to-door collecting candy would break their hearts. This led me to allowing them to collect candy on the holiday, then rationing it out to them every day instead of letting them gobble it up in just a few days. I always thought this was better for them, but my dentist told me this could be the reason why their February dental check-ups were always their worst ones. Daily candy consumption was taking a toll on their teeth. I started a new tradition of letting them indulge for two days, then giving them the option to swap the rest with me in exchange for a new toy. They never pass on the opportunity for a new toy. I created this blog to encourage other parents find similar tactics to keep their children's teeth healthy after Halloween.