You’ve heard of dental implants and you may even be considering them for yourself, but do you know how dental implants are placed? It’s not common knowledge, and it is in equal parts fairly simple but also dependable on the treatment journey you require. We’re implant dentists here at Galway Dentists, so we’re going to answer all of the common questions surrounding how to place dental implants and what the treatment process is.
What a dental implant is made from
First, a brief introduction to the materials. Your dental implants basically come in two parts: the implants themselves or the root, and the crown or the part that looks like a tooth. The root is titanium, and the crown is typically made of porcelain because of its realistic tooth appearance and reliability. With this in mind, let’s get into how dental implants are fitted in the mouth.
Dental implant consultation and dental check-up
First, we always begin by inviting you to a consultation. This allows us to assess your suitability for dental implants. We can replace one or multiple teeth, but this does depend on whether or not you need some support work establishing first. We take x-rays, scans, and moulds to ensure we’ve got a full picture of your mouth, and this also allows us to identify the amount of stable jawbone in the area. If you want to know why this is important, take a look at the health benefits of dental implants post that we’ve previously shared. If you need a little extra work to combat bone resorption, we can do this for you over a number of months before we begin the installation process.
Placing the implant root
Fitting dental implants begins with the titanium root. Titanium has been used for many decades as a tooth root because it invites the bone to heal around it and fuse with it, creating an incredibly sturdy foundation for your tooth replacement. This is a minor surgery that is done under local anaesthetic – we drill into your jawbone to place the roots, though you shouldn’t feel any pain. We then place ‘caps’ on the roots to stop your gums from healing over them, and we wait for the roots to heal over a period of time between 6 weeks and 6 months before inviting you back for your crown.
Placing the crown
The crown is the part that actually looks like a tooth. Using your moulds and your current teeth’s shade, we craft a natural-looking crown from porcelain ready to fix to the implanted root. We only do this once your root has healed. We colour- and shape-match the crowns to ensure your dental implants look natural.
We’ll advise on your healing time, maintenance, and aftercare after your appointment and we’ll invite you for regular check-ups during these times.
Dental implants in Galway are a great way of ensuring your smile remains healthy yet natural-looking even when replacing missing teeth. If you or someone you know are considering dental implants or other tooth replacement treatments, get in touch with our team at Galway Dentists today on (091) 58 22 22 to arrange your initial consultation!
