Your Dental Implant Timeline
Typically, a treatment timeline for dental implants will take three to six months if you do not require any preliminary procedures. For patients who must first receive a bone graft or sinus lift, treatment can be extended an additional three to six months. However, your final timeline will depend upon your jawbone structure, overall health, and goals. Dr. Robert F. Berger can explain your personal dental implant timeline during a consultation at his Columbia, SC, or Elgin, SC, office. As our team performs all aspects of implant dentistry, we can review the exact steps involved in tooth replacement. With the state-of-the-art imaging technology, we can provide you with safe and efficient procedures to ensure the fastest recovery possible.
Preparing for Dental Implants
Before beginning treatment, Dr. Berger can review your goals and concerns and address any questions you may have regarding the treatment process. He can then conduct a complete examination of your smile, taking 3-D scans of your jaw. These precise, detailed images can reveal areas of jawbone recession following tooth loss. As you must have sufficient bone tissue to qualify for dental implants, our team can restore your candidacy with a bone graft or sinus lift. After these preliminary procedures, you will typically need to wait three to six months for your bone to heal before a dental implant procedure can be performed.
In total, your implants treatment can take anywhere from two to six months. This will depend on your jawbone structure, overall health, and goals for treatment.
To ensure precision, we can take 3-D images of your smile, helping us to determine the strongest place for your dental implants.
Implant Placement
After full recovery, you can return to our office for implant surgery. During this procedure, our team can embed implant posts into your jawbone, creating a secure base for restorations. The entire procedure will usually take between one and two hours, depending on the number of implants you receive.
In some cases, you may be eligible for same-day restorations. Jawbone strength is the major determining factor when considering candidacy for this treatment. If you are eligible, your dentist can attach a crown, bridge, or denture immediately after implant surgery. This restoration will be temporary, but it will still be remarkably stable and realistic.
Healing and Osseointegration
After implant surgery, you should allot three to six months for recovery. Healing involves an important process called osseointegration, during which the titanium implant posts fuse with your jawbone, becoming a permanent part of your smile.
Placing the Abutments
If you did not receive same-day restorations, you will require a second, though minor, surgery after osseointegration is complete. During this procedure, we can expose the heads of the implant posts and attach abutment pieces, or connector devices. Once your abutments are attached, you will have to wait an additional two weeks for your gums to heal before you can receive your customized restoration.
Designing and Placing Your Restoration
After your gums have healed, your dentist can take impressions and photos of your smile. We will consider your profile, the balance of your bite, and your overall facial contours when designing your natural-looking restorations. A trusted laboratory can then create your dental crown, bridge, or denture using ultramodern materials with a realistic luster and color. Usually, the fabrication process takes about two weeks. When it is complete, your dentist can attach your permanent, lifelike prosthetic.
Contact Us for an Estimated Dental Implant Timeline
Every implants process is different, and your treatment timeline will depend upon your unique dental needs. To learn more about the advanced and precise procedures we perform at Berger Dental Group, contact our office online or call (803) 205-2496.