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Will dental implants restrict my lifestyle?


Undergoing the dental implant procedure is a major decision for many individuals. Not only is it a financial undertaking, but in most cases, it is a process that takes several months to complete. Many men and women worry that their life will be on hold during the process, but rest assured. The dental implant procedure will not restrict your lifestyle as much as you think.

A consultation with your dentist will help to determine whether or not you are a candidate for the procedure, as well as which type of dental implant will best suit your individual needs. Once it is determined you are a candidate for the treatment, you can get started.

The implant procedure will start with the administration of a local anesthetic. Patients can be put under sedation if requested, but it is not necessary for this procedure. Your dentist will then make small incisions (one for each implant) in the gum line in order to expose the jawbone below. A series of specialized drills will then be utilized to create a hole where the implant will be placed. A single hole is drilled for each implant. A specialized wrench will then be used to tighten or “screw” the implant in place until only the head (also known as the abutment) is visible above the gum line.

If you are a patient undergoing traditional dental implantation, you may require sutures to close the incisions made in the gum line. This could require the need for downtime and may require a special diet while the incisions heal. After that, the dental implants can take anywhere from three to nine months to heal completely. During this time, you may or may not have use of a temporary dental prosthetic (crown, bridge or denture arch). Once the implant has healed completely, the permanent dental prosthetic can be placed.

For those patients undergoing mini dental implantation, the procedure will be very similar to traditional implantation, however, because the implants are significantly smaller, stitches are rarely required, no downtime is necessary and a temporary prosthetic is almost always placed that same day. This means that patients will have immediate use of their implant without limitations.

The implant procedure can take anywhere from a single office visit to several office visits to complete, but apart from the healing period necessary after traditional implantation, a patients’ lifestyle will not be limited. Once your new replacement teeth are placed, they will feel and function like natural teeth—allowing you to forget about them and enjoy life!