If you have a missing tooth, you will likely not want to wait very long to have your tooth replaced with a prosthetic. Who wants to smile and have a big gap where a tooth used to be? The good news is that the process of getting a dental implant has been streamlined by new technological innovations, so you do not always have to wait months to have prosthetic teeth. (For questions regarding dental implants, contact South Florida Dental Arts or another practice)

One-Day Dental Implants

Many patients can have one visit and go home with an implant, post and crown. Your dentist will use 3D imaging to prepare for the surgery through a mock-up. This will allow your dentist to avoid having to cut through your gums to find the bone. Then, a prosthetic tooth will be constructed with help from 3D imaging and will be ready for your next visit. Newer technologies have allowed dentists to skip the osseointregration period, speeding up the procedure.

The downside of same day dental implants is that doing so increases the risk of the dental implant failing. The bone and the implant have less time to become accustomed to each other, so adding the crown so early increases the chances that you might need further surgery to correct the implant.

Nanotubes

After the surgery, it usually takes the gums about 10 days to heal if there are no complications, such as an infection. At this point, the pain associated with the surgery will be gone. Then, it will take about three months for your jawbone to grow around the implant. Once the bone cells grow around the implant, it will be locked into place. Dental implants might heal even faster as scientists perfect nanotube technology for dental implants. There is a new nano-material that can battle infections, reducing the rate of infection and shortening the healing time.

Patient Preparation Before Surgery

If you are anticipating that you will have dental implant surgery, you can be proactive to speed along the process of healing. Be sure to quit smoking because smoking reduces blood supply to the jaw bone, slowing down the healing process. Make sure that you get a good-quality toothbrush and maintain good oral hygiene so you can stop plaque from forming on your teeth, because plaque can slow down the healing process. Once you have dental implants, your implants will likely last the rest of your life, meaning you won't have to go through this process again with the same teeth. 

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