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How Do Dental Implants Work?

Your Perfect Smile Awaits

Before we recommend an advanced dental implant tooth replacement plan, the skilled dentists and team at Vaca & Kirby Dental will walk through every step of the tooth replacement plan. When you call to schedule a tooth replacement consultation appointment in our Longview dental office, we’ll help you understand every step of the treatment process. Below, you’ll find information about some of the basics of the dental implant supported tooth replacement process.

Preparatory Services

Before we place your dental implants, we may need to perform preparatory treatments. This could include tooth extraction, tissue grafts, or dental services to improve your oral health. We’ll also need to review medications, overall health history, and past surgical experience to ensure your safety throughout the dental implant tooth replacement process.

Surgical Dental Implant Placement

Once we’ve prepared your smile, we’ll surgically place your dental implants. This procedure is safe and straightforward. We make a small incision into the gum tissue and insert the implant post. Once in place, we attach protective caps that allow the implant to fuse with the supportive structures.

Osseointegration

Osseointegration is the technical term for the process of the dental implant post fusing with the supportive gum and bone tissue to recreate lost tooth roots. Depending on the individual patient, this process can take three to six months.

Attachment of Dental Implant Restorations

Once the implants have fully fused with the bone and gum tissue, we attach an abutment. This small connector piece anchors the replacement crown, bridge, or denture to implant posts. Once the abutment is in place, we design your restoration. Once we receive the final product from our dental lab, we’ll attach it to the abutments, creating a flawless, healthy, self-supporting tooth replacement prosthetic that will last two decades or longer.

Benefits of Implant Supported Tooth Replacement

While this process is time consuming and requires patience and determination to complete, most dentists and patients alike find the benefits of implant restorations far outweigh the initial time and financial commitments.

Some of the many benefits of implant supported tooth replacement include:

  • Longevity – Traditional tooth replacement options need to be repaired or replaced every five to ten years. Implant supported restoration can last for two decades or longer.
  • Self-supporting – Because the replacement tooth or teeth don’t rely on surrounding teeth or oral structures for support, they allow patients to preserve their healthy tooth structure and improve overall oral health.

No hassle – you can eat all of your favorite foods, speak clearly, and smile with total confidence knowing your replacement tooth or teeth will look, feel, and function just like your healthy smile.

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