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Dental Implant Procedure Steps: What to Expect?

Assuming you have already booked or completed your consultation, let’s get started with the dental implant procedure steps.

Step 1: Implant Placement

Your tooth has been removed and you are ready to get it replaced. The first step is the placement of the implant.

The dentist will be surgically placing the implant in the upper or lower jaw. This does require some drilling as the implant must fit snuggly into the jawbone, acting like the root of your newest tooth.

When the implant is placed, a “healing cap” is placed over it to protect it during step 2.

It’s important to note that bone grafting may be required either before or during the implant placement. If this will be needed the doctor will discuss this with you beforehand.

Step 2: Healing and Osseointegration

Once the implant is in place it is now time to heal. This is critical during the dental implant procedure steps. You have to let the bone in your jaw grow around the implant. This takes some time but is what makes a dental implant so strong and why implants are highly recommended as the best longterm tooth replacement option.

Osseointegration is big word for the implant “fusing” to the jaw bone. The bone locks the implant in place and grows around it to reinforce it, just like your other teeth. This process usually takes a few months. Your healing will be monitored by the dentist.

Step 3: Tooth Replacement

This is the step you’ve been waiting for! The dentist will create a custom crown for you that will look, feel, and act as your new tooth. If you are replacing more than one tooth then a bridge or denture may be needed instead of a crown.

What is most important about this step is that you will leave the dentist’s office with your new tooth. No one will be able to tell that you had a missing tooth in the first place. The process and procedure is complete. Congratulations!

Healthy teeth might be something you don’t think about until they are (for whatever reason) no longer healthy. While some people are more susceptible to tooth decay than others, you can take some basic steps to keep your teeth healthy, such as brushing regularly and attending dental appointments every six months. But certain pitfalls also exist that can be damaging to your teeth, and they aren’t all that uncommon, either.

Read through these seven tooth-health hazards to see what you might need to change in your dental care routine.

Biting nonfood items

Although your teeth may be sharp, they aren’t meant for tasks like tearing open plastic packaging or chewing on fingernails. Incidentally, biting nails can also even lead to gingivitis and tooth loss, according to oralanswers.com. While sharp, the tip of each tooth is the thinnest and weakest part, so it's subject to chipping or even breakage if you’re chewing and tearing things that aren’t food.

Ice is another hazard to teeth. Although it’s made of water (no sugar!) it still has a very hard surface that can harm tooth enamel or even cause a broken or chipped tooth. Remember, ice is for chilling, not chewing!

Acidic and sticky foods

We all know candy is sticky and sugary and increases the risk of cavities, but other healthier foods might be just as damaging. Fruit smoothies and juicing are two health fads that are increasingly popular. While these concoctions are high in vitamins and minerals, their sugar and acid content is also high, which can be a problem for teeth, according to a BBC news report.

It’s best to sip these drinks through a straw, along with plenty of plain water to rinse your mouth afterward. And, as always, keep your intake moderate.

Dried fruit and gummy vitamins may seem healthy, if not harmless, but they too can mean bad news for your teeth. Sticky substances that remain on the tooth break down to form acids that start the decaying process. Rinse well after eating dried fruits, and stick with sugar-free or pill-form vitamins.

Caffeine and alcohol

It’s fairly common knowledge that soda is bad for your teeth due to the high amount of sweeteners, carbonation (which erodes enamel) and caffeine, which can dry out the mouth. Dentalhealth.org explains that a dry mouth is one that’s especially vulnerable to decay because your saliva acts as a rinsing agent that helps clear off harmful bacteria. But are there other drinks that dry out your mouth?

Coffee and tea aren't all bad, but they can become a problem when consumed with too much sugar. Sugary add-ons and the drying effects of caffeine to your mouth mean additional risks of cavities. Again, limit added sugars, drink through straws and drink water to rinse your mouth afterward as much as possible.

Consistent alcohol use without extra care can also damage your smile. Much like caffeinated beverages, alcohol reduces the flow of saliva in your mouth. Heavy drinking also increases the risk of oral cancers. This happens when nutritional deficiencies associated with heavy drinking can lower the body’s ability to use antioxidants in preventing cancers, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation.

Overdoing it on brushing and flossing

Just as a lack of dental hygiene can be harmful to your teeth, becoming overzealous in your routine can also be damaging. Those who use a tough-bristled brush and repetitive back-and-forward motions, described at oralwellness.com, may be wearing away enamel and even contributing to receding gums.
Instead, learn to use a soft-bristled brush with a small lateral brushing pattern at a 45-degree angle to the tooth and gumline. Make sure to be careful when flossing so you don't damage your gums, too.

Grinding or clenching teeth

In a stressful and fast-paced society, it’s easy to store your stress in undesirable places. It’s for this reason that more and more people are experiencing problems caused by grinding or clenching their teeth at night. You may not even be aware you are doing it, but facial and jaw soreness in the morning is a telltale sign, according to the Mayo Clinic’s article on bruxism. Waking up with clenched teeth is also a clue.

Grinding and clenching your teeth (whether during the day or night) can result in significant enamel erosion and even cracking or chipping of your teeth over time. If you think you might have this problem, talk to your dentist about getting a specially made mouthguard to prevent further damage.

Drug abuse

Add tooth loss and tooth decay to the long list of reasons abusing drugs is bad for your health.

"You may have noticed that many drug addicts have bad teeth," WebMD reports. "That's because drugs such as methamphetamine (meth), heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and even marijuana can cause problems for your teeth and gums."

One study cited showed 96 percent of meth users had cavities and the term "meth mouth" is used to refer to the condition of stained and damaged teeth.

Poor dental hygiene and ignoring problems

Usually, tooth pain is enough to get people in to see their dentist, but not always. Some people might have a swollen gum here or a sensitive tooth there that they might deem to be “not a problem.” But as with anything in dental health, it’s always better safe than sorry. Problems from decay, hygienic neglect or some other issue will worsen and cause more damage if left unchecked.

What starts as a small cavity can spread to the tooth’s root and result in a root canal or even total tooth loss. Gum infections and gum disease are also left to continue all too often, with devastating results.

As always, Please contact our office with any and all questions and concerns you may have regarding your oral health.

One common misconception is that losing your teeth is inevitable. … If cared for properly, your teeth can last a lifetime. Your mouth changes as you age. The nerves in your teeth can become smaller, making your teeth less sensitive to cavities or other problems. Saliva helps clean teeth and protects your mouth from decay. But as you get older, your mouth gets drier and your odds of tooth decay go up.

Medications: More than 1800 medications, both prescription and over-the-counter list dry mouth as a side effect. Many are common medications, such as antihistamines and antidepressants. XyliMelts may be helpful.

Transportation: Patients who no longer drive may find getting a ride to the dentist difficult. There are many senior services that can help with transportation and your support of getting to the dentist. Consider asking friends and family to volunteer-or pay them to provide rides. Sometimes senior organizations, churches, and synagogues have volunteer drivers.

Health Issues: Health issues may cause getting to the dentist a difficult task. Having treatments or being tired may make you put the dentist on the back burner, however, keeping up with oral health is important to your overall wellbeing.

We constantly hear patients say that it is so important for them to keep as many of their teeth as possible.

What else can you do?

Cut those sugars and snacks!! Limiting your snacks and removing sweets from your diet is very important. Try cut up fruit as a substitute.

Water, not juice. A glass of 100% juice a day is fine, but try to find one that does not have added sugar. Water should make up the rest of your day.

See your dentist for regular check-ups, don’t put off anything that is painful and see your dental hygienist twice a year for cleanings.

Sensitive teeth can be caused by any of the following: worn tooth enamel from using a hard toothbrush and using a hard grip while brushing aggressively; tooth erosion due to highly acidic foods and beverages; tooth decay; worn leaky fillings and broken teeth that expose the dentin of your tooth. Have you ever had a cold drink that caused your teeth discomfort? Tooth sensitivity is quite a broad term that can mean tenderness anywhere on or near the tooth — the surface, the dentin, the root, and along the gum line.

If you experience tooth sensitivity, it isn't something that you should have to suffer through. There are even home remedies and, if necessary, dental procedures that can help tooth sensitivity and can lessen pain and discomfort.

Have you had a procedure done lately? That could actually play a role in increased tooth sensitivity. Dental procedures can often involve pressure, drilling, vibration, and even heat that will cause your teeth to become sensitive, more so than you experience in your day to day dealings.

Your tooth could also be cracked or damaged, which can certainly lead to increased sensitivity. In some cases, you might not even be aware that your tooth is damaged. Structural integrity of our teeth is something we all take for granted. But the reality is that eating something as simple and healthy as an almond can actually leave you with a cracked, chipped, or even broken tooth.

Decay around the edges of your fillings could be causing discomfort or increased tooth sensitivity. As your fillings age, they can weaken, fracture, even start to leak around the edges. This is fertile ground for bacteria to grow and flourish, increasing in number and accumulating in tiny nooks, crannies, and crevices. This leads to acid buildup which breaks down tooth enamel.

You might also be using harsh mouthwashes or even whitening toothpaste which can be contributing to tooth sensitivity. Many types of mouthwash and toothpaste manufacturers add whitening chemicals to their products which can make your teeth more sensitive, especially if dentin in the middle layer of the tooth are exposed (this is due to enamel wearing down from acids and everyday irritants).

The toothbrush you choose and use every day might also be contributing to your increased tooth sensitivity. The way you brush can also play a role. If you use too much force and a back-and-forth movement instead of a circular movement, this can wear down the protective layers of your teeth, exposing microscopic canals, tubes, and fissures, triggering your dental nerves. When nerves are left exposed, foods extreme in temperature, acidity, or stickiness can be increasingly uncomfortable to eat. Switching to a softer toothbrush, perhaps an electronic model where force can be even and consistently measured will ultimately be better for your teeth.

If you suffer from TMJ or grind your teeth with any sort of regularity, then you are especially susceptible to having sensitive teeth. This also wears down protective coating on your teeth, exposing your nerves. Your dentist can custom shape appliances for patients to wear in order to minimize damage from tooth grinding. These can also be worn during sleep for those who grind at night.

The cause sensitive teeth is a mystery you can solve with some input from your dentist. So if you've been suffering with painful sensitivity that keeps you from eating the foods you love, make an appointment with your dentist today – and you may be eating ice cream tomorrow.