The dental implant procedure

A dental implantation is a treatment in three steps divided 6-8 visits, under a treatment period of 3 – 12 months.

The different stages involve, preparatory examination, preparatory work, fixture installation (titanium screws), if necessary spacing surgery, check-up, prosthetic work and follow-up.

The amount of treatments that are necessary and the length of the treatment period is dictated by bone quality and the patient’s condition and needs.

How much does a dental implant treatment hurt?

The amount of discomfort the patient experiences from the dental implant procedure differs from person to person, just as with normal dentistry. Generally the actual implant surgery is performed with premedication of sedatives and local anaesthesia. The other steps are like normal dentist appointments.

You can choose the kind of pain relief you require for the different steps and there are many clinics with treatment procedures aimed at people who are more or less fear going to the dentist.

Following the dental implant surgery the treated area may be swollen and feel tender for a few days but often normal pain killers are sufficient following the surgery.

Preparatory consultation and assessment

The first step to a dental implant procedure is that the patient chooses or is referred to a clinic that performs the procedure. You will find these in the directory of clinics that perform dental implants.

If you are missing a single tooth then you may be recommended an implant or crown. If you are missing several teeth it will probably be a question of individual implants with crowns or alternatively a bridge solution, which is a series of connected artificial teeth that are secured but two or more implants.

If you need to replace all your teeth then you require a implant supported bridge that is fixed in the jaw with 4-6 implants.

Step 1 – Preparation

Before implant treatment thorough examination and preparatory work is performed. This is in order to choose the correct strategy and to create an environment in your mouth suitable for the implants fixture.

The first step is to undergo a thorough examination and x-ray your teeth and jawbone.

If it is found that the quantity or quality of the tooth bone isn’t good then one must transplant bone tissue from another place on the body in order to have enough bone to fasten the dental implants into.

The jawbone and any teeth must be whole and free from infection and properly healed from any previous dentistry.

When one has achieved a clean and healthy mouth with good fixture for the implants the preparatory work is complete. This may take one day to several months depending on the starting point.

Step 2 – Installing dental implants

Installing the dental implants can be done with a one or two step surgery.

Alternative 1 – the normal two-step surgery

Two-step surgery involves surgically placing the fixture – a type of screw into the jawbone, during the first operation. Then a covering screw is placed on top of the implant in order to protect it while the entire fixture if covered with gum. Thereafter the dental implant is left to heal for 3-6 months.

During the healing process one is given temporary teeth replacements if necessary.

When the fixture has healed and integrated into the jawbone the gum is opened up and the covering screw is removed. Following that a post is attached to the fixture on which the prosthetic reconstruction is then placed.

Alternative 2 – the simple one-step surgery

One-step surgery involves surgically placing the implant which is then fitted with a healing hat/post. One does not cover the implant with the gum and by doing so the prosthetic treatment can begin immediately after healing without requiring another surgery.

According to a report by the National Board of Health and Welfare in Sweden (ISBN: 91-7201-810-0) several studies have compared the simpler one-step surgery with the two-step surgery without being able to prove any significant differences between the two techniques regarding success rate.

About early or direct force on dental implants

Normally a dental implant should heal during a 3-6 month period before the force of a crown or bridge should be allowed. During that period the patient will most likely use temporary prosthesis.

Many studies do however suggest that the above delay for healing is not necessary and that one can begin to put force on the teeth earlier (2-3 weeks) or immediately after the dental implants have been placed.

Through early or direct force on the dental implants the treatment time is reduced to a minimum, only one surgical procedure is required, dentures are not needed and the patient receives immediate aesthetics and function.

However, there are dentists that suggest the technique of using early or immediate force is not substantiated enough in order to be viewed as safe.

Step 3 – Attaching the new teeth

In those cases when immediate force on the implants is not used one is required to return to the clinic in order to have ones final ‘new’ teeth fixed into place.

The new teeth have been made in a special laboratory and tailored in order to fit your mouth and wishes. Their shaping is based on a cast taken at an earlier stage.

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