Dental Implant Placement Procedure

Dental Implants are a new alternative in tooth replacement. The procedure consists of two stages: placement of a replacement tooth root at your dental specialist office, followed by placement of a tooth replacement (crown) at our office.

There are now a wide variety of dental implant placement procedures that vary in duration and materials. Any implant procedure is preceded by a detailed consultation and case planning with your dental team.

Duration of the Procedure

The duration of the procedure is highly variable, largely because healing is often required in between steps of the procedure.

In some cases, when there is abundant jawbone tissue and the patient is in good health, some specialists offer “immediate loading”. In this single-day procedure, the implant and crown are placed simultaneously.

More commonly, the crown is fitted several months after implant placement, allowing the implant time to fuse with the jawbone. In cases involving bone grafting, the graft must first heal for several months before the implant can be installed. Then the implant must integrate into the bone for several months before the crown can be adhered to the implant.

Types of Implants

Root Form Implant
The first and most commonly installed dental implant is called a “root form implant”. Root form implants are grooved like screws, but otherwise are similar in size and shape to a natural tooth root. These implants are used when there is sufficient depth and width to the area of the jaw to accept the fixture.

Plate Form Implant
Plate form implants are just as you might imagine them- they are relatively long and flat. Plate form implants are used on patients with narrow jaws that may not properly support the wider root form implants.

Subperiosteal Implant
Subperiosteal implants are custom fitted to sit atop the jaw, in cases where the bone is too short or narrow to accept plate or root form implants. Your specialist will determine the appropriate shape of the implant either by taking an impression of the jawbone, which requires a preliminary surgical procedure, or by taking a CAT scan of the jaw and creating an impression from the three-dimensional model.

General Implant Placement Procedure

While there is some variation in procedure, the following outlines the basic steps required for dental implant placement.

The first portion of the procedure is done at your specialist's office. The gum covering the area is gently folded back and the underlying bone prepared to receive the implant. The extent of the bone preparation is dependent on the number of implants required. The implant(s) are then installed, and the gum sutured. The implant should fully integrate into the bone after 3 to 6 months.

At this point, a custom-designed crown is fitted over the post. The details of the procedure change slightly with the structure of the implant used.