So You Want To Replace Your Missing Tooth With An Implant?
A dental implant is a lifelong solution for tooth loss. If you’ve had a tooth extraction, you’ll want to have the best solution possible done as soon as possible. You’ll also want to make sure your new dental implant is placed in a healthy and healed jawbone and gums so your implant will last long term.
At Rockville Dental Arts, we’ve placed thousands of dental implants for tooth extraction patients over the years. From our experience, we know that every patient is different. The right time for your dental implant after your tooth extraction will vary widely from patient to patient. We will always consider your personal dental health and needs, and create a timeline for the dental implant process to give you the best results for your smile.
While the timeline will always be different, there are a few things to know to give you some idea of what to expect moving forward.
Why Healing Before a Dental Implant Matters
You may feel that since you will have to heal from the dental implant, you may as well heal from both at the same time. This is an understandable assumption. However, it’s essential that we place a dental implant into healthy gums and jawbone.
Your new dental implant (or implantes dentales) will appear like a natural tooth. It will function that way, too, complete with a root to keep it stable. The root for your new artificial tooth is the titanium screw installed into your jawbone as part of your dental implant. This screw will be painlessly installed securely in the bone.
Just like how your natural teeth need a healthy jaw and gums, so does your new implant.
Many patients who have undergone a tooth extraction did so because they have an injury to their tooth, severe cracks in the teeth that couldn’t be repaired, infection or cavities. The extraction was a serious procedure that your mouth needs time to heal from. If there is infection from the tooth or anything that might affect the health of your new dental implant, it’s better to wait so your new artificial tooth won’t have any problems.
If your jawbone isn’t healthy, we may need to perform a bone graft to make you a better candidate for a healthy dental implant. We’ll then need to wait for the bone graft to heal before we can install the implant.
How Long After Tooth Extraction Can I Get a Dental Implant?
While every patient is different and we will create a personalized treatment plan to give you your best smile, most tooth extraction patients need to wait between two to three months before their dental implant can be installed.
We know that you want to begin the process of getting your long term solution for tooth loss. Don’t worry, our team will be with you every step of the way. We know just how important it is to you that your smile is complete so you can eat, talk, and smile with confidence.
Consider getting your dental implant placed at the same time the tooth is removed. This is the fastest way to get your new tooth and get on with your life. Most teeth can be implanted at the same time. Consult the Dr. Norkiewicz at Rockville Dental Arts to see if you are a good candidate for this procedure.
To keep our patients with their best smiles, we have temporary solutions for teeth that can fill the gap. While your dental implant will be an improvement over the temporary solution, we can work with you to assure you have temporary teeth that will appear natural. There is no need for anyone to know you are missing any teeth. No matter which tooth or teeth are lost, we can create temporary partial dentures or full mouth dentures to temporarily keep you smiling while we wait for the healing process to complete.
Be Ready For The Dental Implant
Do you have more questions? Are you concerned about what the dental implant process will mean for you? We mean it when we say that we are with you every step of the way.
Please contact the Rockville Dental Arts team any time to ask questions or schedule an appointment to start the process. Use our contact form on our website or give us a call today!