Dental Implants: Prevention and Process

Getting dental implants is a large time and financial commitment, so it's much wiser to try to avoid the situation if at all possible. There are some easy preventative measures one can take to keep their natural teeth healthy and strong for several years. Even if you lose a tooth by accident, replacement is still possible if you act quickly.

The easiest way to avoid having to get dental implants is by taking good care of your teeth. Proper brushing and flossing daily is necessary to keep away cavities and decay that can cause tooth loss. Another reason for losing teeth is through accidents that can knock one or several loose, chip or fracture them. If you participate in high contact sports such as hockey, football, and boxing, it is absolutely necessary for you to protect your smile with a mouthguard that has been molded to your teeth. If you do get into an accident where a tooth is dislodged, either partially or completely, immediately clean out your mouth with water to remove excess blood. Find the tooth or broken piece if possible and place it into a glass of milk. If you can get to a dentist under an hour, there is a reasonable chance that your original tooth can be repaired without the need for dental implants.

If you do end up needing dental implants, the first step is to have your mouth x-rayed. The dentist needs to ensure that there is enough bone to able to support the necessary structures. If enough bone is present, holes are drilled, and in some cases, this drilling takes place over several sessions to obtain the right depth and width. Once complete, the screw is then put into the hole which serves as the anchor for the crown. The area needs to be allowed to heal so that the dental implants adhere to the gum and bone properly, which can take a few months. Most patients will be under anaesthesia during the process, but might wake up with some tenderness and swelling as the tissue grows. Over the counter medications can help manage any pain.

After the holes and screws have healed properly, the dentist will make tiny incisions in the gums to again reveal the screws, a post is then attached which will support the crown portion of the dental implants. This will require another few weeks or months to heal once again before the cosmetic portion can be completed. Some dentists can perform the post and screw attachment simultaneously on certain patients, which can save time. 

After the mouth and dental implants have fully healed, custom made crowns cap off the area to give the appearance of a real tooth or teeth. This step is usually very quick and painless, taking under an hour to complete. Dentists make sure that the crowns blend in with any natural teeth you have, matching color, size and overall appearance so it will be impossible to differentiate the false from the real teeth.