What are Dental Implants: Procedure, Benefits, and Aftercare Tips

What are Dental Implants?

Dental implants provide a solution for those who have lost their teeth due to accidents, disease, or other causes. They are made from titanium and look like natural teeth when you smile normally. Still, they blend in with your surrounding gums and bone structure, so everyone will hardly notice them. Teeth implants are placed into your jawbone. Depending on your needs, these restorations can replace one tooth or multiple teeth.

What is the Procedure for getting Dental Implants?

Here is the step-by-step process of getting dental implants:

1) Examination and Assessment

A dentist or physician performs a dental exam to determine whether you’re a good candidate for getting tooth implants. The exam should include questions about your medical history, such as heart disease or diabetes, smoking history, family history of cancer, and lifestyle habits. The dentist will also do an x-ray to check if you have sufficient bone support for the dental implant.

2) Dental Implant Placement

Our cosmetic dentist at 22031 will make a small incision on your gum and then drill out the bone that covers your teeth. Then they place an artificial replacement for each tooth lost or damaged by decay or injury.

Dental implants are placed under local anesthesia so you can go home after treatment with no pain or discomfort. This means you don’t have to stay overnight at our hospital, but we would still recommend that you see us once per week during this period so we can monitor how well your new teeth are working for you.

3) Gum Healing and Osseointegration

Gum healing involves the process of the gum tissue healing around the implant. Osseointegration is the process in which bone cells grow around titanium implants, joining them together as one solid unit.

It’s important to let our dentist in Merrifield, VA know if you have any issues with your gums after treatment so that they can take the necessary steps to prevent infection. You should also ask them if there are any concerns about how well this process has gone because sometimes it takes longer than expected for some people’s gums to heal completely after having dental implants installed into their mouths

4) Placing of the Abutment

The abutment connects the implant and crown. The dentist will re-open the gums and place the abutment on top of your implant. A cast of the teeth is made to create the crowns. In the meantime, the dentist will cover the teeth with a temporary denture or crown.

5) Fixing the Dental Crown

The dental crown is fixed to your tooth with a porcelain cap. The porcelain cap is placed over the tooth and cemented onto it to make it permanent. Cementing may take a few minutes or more, depending on how many teeth have been capped.

What are the Benefits of Dental Implants?

Here are the benefits of getting teeth implants:

• They offer a much more natural look and feel than dentures or bridges
• They also help to preserve the natural shape of your face.
• Dental implants stop bone loss by stimulating new bone growth
• They keep the adjacent teeth from shifting
• Implants can also improve your eating and speaking abilities
• Dental implants are strong and durable and can last a lifetime with proper care.
• Dental implants don’t require special care as you can brush them like your natural teeth.

What are the Aftercare Instructions for Dental Implants?

The implant recovery time takes a few months, depending on the number of procedures done in between. However, the healing time can also be influenced by how well you care for your teeth:

• Avoid eating hard or sticky food for the first few weeks.
• You should avoid acidic foods that can irritate the gums
• Avoid smoking or chewing tobacco and taking alcohol because they can make healing take longer
• Eat soft and chew foods in the first few days
• Brush and floss your teeth regularly
• Visit a dentist near you regularly for checkups and cleanings.

Get Teeth Implants Near you

Are you looking to get dental implants in Merrifield, VA? Give us a call or book an appointment with Drummond Dental Care for more information about getting tooth implants in Fairfax, VA and what you can expect.