Dental implants are amazing restorations since they are permanent, last a long time, and look like natural teeth. While many patients would ideally want as few appointments as possible for implant placement, it's not always a practical idea. There are two basic routes for implant placement: delayed loading and immediate loading.
During delayed loading procedures, a dentist will secure the implant post, but the crown will be fitted at a later date. With immediate loading, the entire prosthesis is placed. If you want immediate dental implants, you'll need to talk with your dentist and ask yourself some questions.
How's Your Oral Hygiene?
If you struggle with brushing and flossing, then immediate dental implants aren't a good idea. While implants usually have good success rates, you don't want to put yourself at risk for peri-implantitis — an inflammatory condition from poor oral health that can cause implant failure.
Do You Grind Your Teeth?
Bruxism, or teeth grinding, can be a real issue with implants since this habit can cause excess pressure on the false tooth and affect healing times. With delayed implant placement, your dentist can place a healing cap on the implant post, and there will be no additional pressure on the dental restoration as your jaw bone fully heals.
Do You Need Grafting or Ridge Preservation?
If you've been missing your natural teeth for some time, then it's likely that your jaw bone has resorbed or shrunk. Dental implants need good bone structure in order to work, so if you need bone grafting beforehand, then your dentist may recommend delayed loading so that the graft can fully integrate with the implant and surrounding bone tissue.
Even if you aren't currently missing your natural teeth, your dentist could recommend a delayed procedure if you still need to have multiple teeth extracted. During tooth extractions, it's easy for bone density to be negatively impacted. To mitigate that problem, your dentist may do a ridge preservation procedure, where they pack the empty tooth socket with bone membranes to prevent resorption. Like a graft, these membranes need time to heal in the area, so a delayed implant placement is a more suitable scenario.
Does Your Dentist Use Bioactive Coatings?
There isn't a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to implants. Every dentist is different and has a preference when it comes to implant brands. You'll want to ask your dentist if they use implants with bioactive coatings. Immediate loading is a more likely option if a dentist uses a coated implant with bioactive components that encourage bone growth. For instance, one study found that a bio-ceramic called hydroxyapatite is favored for certain implants since it can form strong bonds with a patient's bone tissues.
Reach out to a dentist in your area for more information on delayed and immediate implants and which route is right for you.
Share22 January 2021
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.