Are you worried about the commitment to get a dental implant from a dentist in Richmond? Don’t worry you are not alone. For people, the primary concern is not the procedure, it’s the duration and time that worries oneself. In this blog let’s discuss the timeline of a dental, and through that particular aspect let’s find out if dental implants are worth your investment.
What is a Dental Implant?
Dental implants take three key steps to successfully restore the functionality and appearance of your lost tooth or teeth. These three steps focus on various parts of the tooth structure; the rooth, the connector, and the replacement itself. Let’s have a quick look at those steps.
- Titanium Implant: The titanium that is used as a replacement for the root helps build up a stable foundation for the new tooth. This titanium screw-like post is surgically placed and it fuses with the jawbone through a process called osseointegration.
- Abutment: A connector piece that makes a bridge between the titanium post and the new artificial tooth. But this step takes place after the post is fused with the jawbone.
- Crown: On the top of the abutment, a dental crown is placed. This crow is custom-made, matching the shape, size, and colour of your natural teeth.
So when you look at dental implants they become long-lasting, durable, and enhance your comfort. The benefits obviously outweigh the timeline when you decide to get a dental implant near you. However, let’s focus on the timeline, which will help you determine whether you should opt for it or not.
The Timeline of Getting a Dental Implant
The overview provides a general procedure followed by many dentists.
- Pre-surgery Consultation: The consultation phase involves discussing your medical history, oral examination using X-rays or 3D imaging, and creating a customized treatment plan.
- Duration: 1-2 weeks.
- Timeline: 1 to 2 visits
- Surgery Implant A Placement: Starts with local anesthesia, incision in the gum, drilling a hole, pacing the post, closing the incision, and attaching a temporary crown.
- Duration: 1 Day
- Timeline: Stitches typically dissolve in 1-2 weeks but the surgery takes only 1 day. The healing timeline is typically 7-10 days.
- Healing Process: Regular check-ups, monitoring your oral health, dietary restriction, and fusing of bone with the post.
- Duration: 3 to 6 months
- Timeline: Check-ups are required every 4-6 weeks. Osseointegration can take at least 3 to 6 months.
- Placement of Abutment and Crown: Minor surgery to expose the implant, attachment of abutment, taking impressions, and crown fabrication. After fabrication, you have to visit back to your dentist who will attract the crow which was custom-made according to your impression.
- Duration: 1-2 weeks
- Timeline: 1-2 weeks
The timeline we discussed is general for normal implant scenarios. Every dental clinic near you may follow a step or two that goes above and beyond, to ensure your safety and comfort.
| At-Home Dental Cleaning | Professional In-Office Dental Cleaning |
| Pre-surgery Consultations | 1-2 weeks |
| Implant Placements | 1 day ( Recovery takes 1-2 weeks) |
| Healing Process (Osseointegration) | 3-6 months |
| Placement of Abutment and Crow | 1-2 weeks |
| Follow-Up Appointments | Every 6 months |
Factors Affecting the Timeline
- Number of teeth Being Replaced: If the number of teeth being replaced increases, it impacts the duration. The complexity and process of surgery. Additionally, the time required to heal also impacts the duration of the surgery, but more on that at a later point. This extends the timeline. It adds the number of weeks and even months to the surgery. So to summarize it simply number of implants affects the complexity, which adds weeks and even months to the pre-determined timeline.
- Bone Health: A healthy jawbone is a must for moving ahead with the dental implant procedure. If your jawbone is affected by gum disease, tooth loss, or other factors, the dentist near you will suggest bone grafting. Bone grafting is important as it provides additional foundation by adding more bones, and stability to your jawbone. This process will increase or extend the timeline by 3-6 months.
- Healing Process: Delay in the healing process does depend on your overall health. Every individual has a different level of healing rate and it highly depends on the immune response, age, medication, dietary precautions, etc. Hence, if it takes you longer to heal through the different stages of the procedure, the expected timeline will be extended. Now there is no general number it can be extended to several weeks as well as months.
Missing Teeth? Smile Freely with Clear Dental
So to summarize the complete timeline for getting dental implants in Richmond is typically 4-9 months. Just keep the factors in mind which may increase the timeline by a moderate margin. However apart from the timeline, dental implants are extremely important if you look at the benefits. One should not overlook their ability to restore the functionality and appearance of your smile. Additionally, dental implants also help preserve your overall oral health as they are durable and long-lasting procedures.
Missing teeth? Facing difficulty enjoying your favourite food or smiling confidently? Visit Clear Dental, an expert dentist in Richmond ready to restore your personality through reliable dental treatments. Also don’t worry about the timeline, we will make sure to feel comfortable during the entire procedure and also help with post-surgery dietary consultation. This will allow you to keep up with the pre-determined timeline during consultation. So what’s the wait schedule a consultation now!