A Guide to the Dental Implant Process

If you are missing teeth — one tooth, many teeth, or all your teeth — you’ll be glad to hear that you have more options than just toothlessness and dentures (partial or full). Your dentist in Kelowna can provide solutions including modern and effective full and partial dentures, dental bridges of several different types for a wide variety of situations, and dental implants to replace your teeth and roots and complete dental function and strength. Use this brief introduction to the process of getting dental implants to consider whether they may be a good option for you and to guide a conversation about the appropriateness of dental implants with a dentist near you.

Who are good and bad candidates for implants?

Ideal candidates for dental implant dentistry in Kelowna and implant surgery are patients who are in good enough overall health to withstand the surgical procedures themselves. You also need to have good oral health, meaning you have no periodontal (gum) disease and a jaw bone with sufficient mass and density to accommodate the implant.

People who are poor candidates for implant dentistry near you and surgery (at least without additional investigations or preparation to deal with potential risks and complications) include: people who smoke and consume excessive alcohol in the months before and after surgery; pregnant women; patients with Type 1 or 2 diabetes; and people with a compromised immune system.

What are the steps of getting dental implants?

Before the scheduled date of your surgery, your dentist in Kelowna will contact you to make sure you’re prepared for your operation. You may, for example, be given anti-bacterial mouthwash and antibiotics to use and take before your operation. Your dentist will confirm you’ve made arrangements for transportation to and from the clinic on your surgery date and will explain the range of sedation dentistry options available.

Step One: Surgery to place the implant

Your surgeon will numb your mouth using local anesthesia, then make an incision in your gums to expose the bone of your tooth. Using a drill and working through that incision, your dentist will remove some material to make room to accept the titanium post that replaces the root of your missing tooth. Once the implant has been placed in your jaw, the incision will be stitched. The second stage will take place a few months later after you’ve recovered from surgery and the implant has bonded to your jaw bone.

Step Two: Attaching an abutment

During the second stage of the implant procedure, your dentist will expose the implant by making a small incision in your gum (where it had healed after the first stage). Once the implant post is exposed, your dentist will attach an abutment to that post. The abutment will fasten your replacement crown to the implant in the third stage. Once the abutment is in place, your dentist will take any impressions necessary to design and prepare your crown.

Step Three: Attaching a crown to the abutment

The final step in the implant procedure is the attachment of your crown to the abutment that was placed in the second stage. Between the second and third stages, the crown will have been crafted by technicians at a dental laboratory based on the impressions taken by your dentist and as required to blend naturally with your remaining teeth. The process of crafting, fitting, and placing the crown may take multiple appointments.

Receiving dental implants near you is a highly successful process almost always performed and completed without complications. The staff at a dental clinic near you will provide you with detailed instructions and information to ensure you recover fully from each stage of the procedure and return quickly to normal life and dental function.