Know What to Expect With Dental Implant Surgery
As dental implants increase in popularity, the surgical procedures to install them are becoming quite commonplace. Still, many people are nervous about this procedure, perhaps not really knowing what to expect. So if you're considering dental implants, here's a rundown of what happens before, during and after the procedure.
Dental implants are actually a tooth root replacement system. A post made of titanium is inserted into the jaw bone at the site of the missing tooth. Because of titanium's bone-friendly molecular structure bone cells naturally gravitate to its surface; over time the inserted post and bone will fuse. After a few weeks of this process, the post will be ready for a porcelain crown, bridge or overdenture to be attached to it.
Before the implant surgery you will undergo a complete dental exam. Everything is planned out in advance so that we know the exact location along the jaw to place the implants. In many cases we create a surgical template that can be used during surgery to identify these precise locations.
The procedure itself is painless for most patients, requiring only a local anesthesia. The procedure begins with small incisions in the gum tissue to allow us to see the precise point in the bone for the implant. We then create a small hole in the bone, using a drilling sequence of successive larger holes until we've achieved the best fit for the implant (during drilling you may experience a mild vibration). We then remove the implants from their sterile packaging, place them immediately into the drilled hole, then stitch the gum tissue back into place.
After surgery, most patients encounter only a mild level of discomfort for a day or two. This can be managed by prescription doses of common pain relievers like aspirin or ibuprofen, although we will use surgical strength ibuprofen. Rarely do we need to prescribe something stronger.
Once the implant fuses permanently with the bone, we then affix the final crown or other dental device in a painless procedure. This final step will give you back not only the use of your teeth, but a more appealing smile as well.
If you would like more information about dental implant surgery, please contact Dr. Nick Pournaras by calling (803) 794-5430 to schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Dental Implant Surgery.”
