Step 1: Consultation
Before you can have a dental implant placed, you will first need to attend a consultation with Dr. Kovacevic here at our office. During this consultation, the doctor will perform a thorough examination of your oral health, taking the time to check the condition of your oral structures. This examination will allow Dr. Kovacevic to make sure that your jawbone and gums can provide the support required for implant success. If these structures are too weak to support implants, then it will be recommended that you undergo a supplemental procedure.
Step 2: Supplemental Procedures
For patients suffering from conditions such as jawbone deterioration and gum recession, supplemental procedures can be used to restore implant candidacy. These conditions affect the structures that support your teeth, making it so that your implant fixture will not be able to osseointegrate. Using procedures like bone grafting and soft tissue augmentation, we can reverse the damage done by these conditions, allowing you to move forward with the dental implant process.
Step 3: Implant Placement
Once your oral health is strong enough, you will be able to have your implant placed. During this surgical procedure, an implant fixture is placed in the empty spot left behind by your missing tooth. The area will then be sutured so that it can begin healing. At this point, Dr. Kovacevic may choose to attach an abutment and temporary replacement tooth to your implant fixture. However, this is not preferred, and it is more likely that you will have to wait until after the recovery period before any additional pieces are attached to your implant fixture.
Step 4: Recovery
With your implant fixture placed, you will enter a three to six-month recovery period. This is the most important part of the dental implant process because this is when osseointegration occurs. Osseointegration is a natural, biological process occurring in the jawbone. This process reacts with the biocompatible titanium used to make dental implants, and allows your jaw structure to fuse to your implant fixture. The success of this fusion allows your jaw structure to manipulate your implant fixture as if it were a natural tooth root.
Step 5: Restoration
At the point where your implant fixture has fully healed and completely osseointegrated into your jaw structure, you will be able to return to our office to have your restoration attached. (An abutment will also be attached at this point if it wasn’t placed directly after your implant surgery.) For patients looking to restore a single missing tooth, the restoration will take the form of a dental crown.
Regardless of which type of restoration is used, you can rest assured that it will be custom-made specifically for your implant case. Your restoration will be carefully made based on images and scans taken of your remaining natural teeth. This allows us to match your restoration to your natural teeth down to their color, shape, size, and texture.