Dental Implants 101: Everything You Need To Know About Implants

Missing teeth ruin your smile and damper your confidence. However, they affect more than your smile; because these gaps can cause the teeth and the jaw to weaken. Why? This is because the missing teeth cause the alveolar bone to deteriorate. The alveolar bone supports the teeth, and when it starts to dissolve, it causes the other teeth to weaken. Furthermore, the surrounding teeth may begin to shift to occupy the available space, contributing to jaw bone degradation.

What Are Dental Implants?

Teeth implants are metal screws made of titanium that are surgically fixed on the jaw. The implants are made of three parts, the titanium screw, the connector, and the dental crown.

Fixing implants help improve your appearance, dental health, smile, and facial features as they will fix the missing teeth and restore your smile.

Is Everyone Eligible For Dental Implants?

No. For you to get the dental implant fixed, you need to meet certain criteria?

• Be 17 years or older.
• Have healthy teeth and gums devoid of decay
• Have enough jaw bone density

How Is The Teeth Implants Fixed?

Dental implants are fixed in three steps:

Step One: Preparation And examination

Before the dental implants are fixed, a thorough assessment is required. Our dentist in Beverly Hills, CA, will first assess your teeth and gums using an x-ray. He will examine bone density and gum health.

The dentist will also examine your medical history. He may recommend antibiotics before and after the procedure to keep bacteria away.

Your treatment plan is mapped depending on your dental condition, the number of missing teeth, and bone density. The dentist will discuss the different types and help you choose the best dental implants suitable for you.

• Single dental implants. These are used to restore individual teeth, and they work similarly to your natural teeth.
• Same-day dental implants. These implants are also called immediate load dental implants fixed on the same day as your surgery. These teeth implants are great if you have sufficient natural bone. The same day dental implants are used as a temporary measure as you wait for your permanent teeth to be made. The primary purpose of these teeth implants is to cover the gaps as you wait for the gums and implants to fuse.
• Mini dental implants are narrower screws that are used to support dentures.
• All-on-4 implants. These are best suited if you have multiple teeth missing either on the lower or upper jaw. The dentist fixes two implants on the upper and rests on the lower jaw, and then the artificial teeth are attached. Since these implants are fixed on available bone, you do not need a bone graft.

Step two: Placement on the implants

The dentist will drill the jaw bone to fix the implants. This tooth implant procedure is done under local anesthesia, but the dentist may use dental sedation if you have a dental phobia.

The bone and implant need to fuse before an abutment is fixed. The connector holds the crown and the implant together. This abutment is fixed a few weeks after the implant surgery, but the dentist may often attach it on the same day as your implants.

After fusing the bone and the implant, the dentist will schedule an appointment to fix the crowns.

Step three: Fixing of the Dental Crowns

The permanent crowns can either be removable or fixed. A follow-up dental appointment may be scheduled to assess the tooth crowns, and they are holding up.

What Can You Expect After The Implant Surgery?

After the implants are fixed, you may experience swelling and bruising of the gums, pain at the implant area, and the surrounding tissues’ injury.

Are There Any Risks Involved With Dental Implants?

Although dental implant surgery has a high success rate, it may fail because of factors like:

• Nerve damage
• Gum infection in the implant area
• Rejection of the implants. If the bone and implant do not fuse perfectly, the body may reject the implant.

Schedule An Appointment

Teeth implants are durable and effective solutions for missing teeth. Visit Dr. Borzoo Ahmadi in Beverly Hills for more information on dental implants.