If your teeth are badly decayed or if you have lost teeth due to an oral trauma, the use of dental implants will allow you to restore the look and function of your smile. However, if you are like many people, you may have hesitated to contact your dentist regarding this beneficial procedure simply because you are unaware of how it works. Thankfully, taking the time to review the step by step guide below will allow you to do away with any anxiety you are feeling by ensuring that you fully understand each step of the implant process.

Step 1: Fabricate Dental Crowns

Before you can begin the implant process, your dentist must first make a mold of your existing teeth, gums, and other oral tissues in order to allow for the fabrication of custom made dental crowns. By mimicking the size and shape of your natural teeth, these crowns will ultimately ensure a natural looking smile once your implants are in place.

This stage in the process can be completed in a single visit and will require no recovery time. Since the process of making a dental mold is not painful, there will be no need for the use of anesthesia during this step.

Step 2: Extract Damaged Teeth

If your implants are meant to replace your damaged teeth, these teeth will need to be extracted prior to having your implants placed. In some cases, this step will be completed during the same visit as Step 1. However, if you are having multiple teeth extracted, your dentist may require you to make a separate appointment as this process can be time consuming.

Having your teeth extracted can be quite painful, therefore, you should expect your dentist to make use of a local anesthetic in order to minimize your discomfort. While this medication will not prevent you from driving yourself home from your appointment, you will need to wait until the effects wear off before eating and drinking. You will also want to avoid smoking in the days following your tooth extraction in order to prevent dry socket.

Step 3: Surgically Place Implants

After your gums have healed from the tooth extraction process, your dentist will schedule you for an outpatient surgery in order place your implants. This procedure will typically be completed in a hospital or surgical center rather than in your dentist's office.

During the procedure your dentist will make a small incision into your gums and drill a hole in your jawbone for each implant that is being placed. The implant is then placed in the hole and the incision is closed.

While this procedure is typically done on an outpatient basis, general anesthesia will typically be used. Consequently, you will need to enlist the help of a family member or friend to help you get home from the hospital since you will be unable to drive for several hours afterwards.

As you heal from this procedure, your jawbone will grow around the implants providing them with the same strength as a natural tooth. The recovery time after this step will vary from person to person but will often span several months.

Step 4: Attaching Posts And Dental Crowns

Once you are completely healed from your surgical procedure, your dentist will reopen of gums by making a small incision above each implant. A small metal post will then be inserted through this incision and attached to the implant below the gum line. Finally, your dentist will attach a dental crown to each metal post in order to complete your dental implant procedure.

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