Dental implant surgery

About

Dental implantation is usually outpatient surgery and is often performed in stages.

• It begins with removal of your damaged tooth.
• Then your jawbone is prepared for surgery, which may involve bone grafting.
• Implantation of the new titanium root (also called osseointegrated or endosteal implant) is done when your jawbone is healed from any preparation work.
• A permanent replacement tooth is fitted onto your implant.

The whole process can take anywhere from two to six months. If you need bone grafting to prepare your jaw, additional time will be necessary. You may receive a local anesthetic, sedative or general anesthetic prior to any surgical step. During the titanium root implantation surgery, your oral surgeon will:

• Temporarily reposition your gums to expose the bone
• Prepare a hole in your jawbone
• Insert a small, threaded titanium cylinder into your jawbone to act as a root for the artificial tooth
• Prepare your gums to fit around the cylinder
• Place a temporary prosthetic tooth

After your jawbone and gums have completely healed, you return to your prosthetic dentist to have your temporary tooth replaced with a permanent tooth.