A single dental implant placement is usually completed in less than an hour as an office procedure with local anaesthesia. The implant is then allowed to heal with the bone for a minimum of twelve weeks. If you have poor quality bone and bone-grafting procedures are necessary the overall process can take up to eight months or more. Your dentist will determine which surgical procedure is best for you.
In the early stages of implant development, dental implant systems used a two-stage approach believing that it improves the odds of initial implant survival. Subsequent research suggests that no difference in implant survival exists between one-stage and two-stage surgeries and the choice of whether or not to “bury” the implant in the first stage of surgery became a concern of soft tissue (gingiva) management.
In two stage approach, after an implant is placed, the internal components are covered with either a healing abutment, or a cover screw. A healing abutment passes through the soft tissue, and the surrounding soft tissue is adapted around it. A cover screw is flush with the surface of the dental implant, and is designed to be completely covered by soft tissue. After an integration period, a second surgery is required to reflect the softtissue and place a healing abutment.
An increasingly common strategy to preserve bone and reduce treatment times includes the placement of a dental implant into a recent extraction site. A highly aesthetic temporary crown can be placed onto the dental implants which is called immediate loading. This is commonly placed in the front region of mouth as high aesthetic demand. This procedure shortens treatment time and can improve aesthetics because the soft tissue envelope is preserved.
Dental implants are permanent and once is place can be treated to normal healthy tooth usage. Stages of the procedure are done in our Glendowie surgery and in partnership with a Periodontist.