Once you have learned about dental implants and how to plan your treatment, it is time to learn a little bit more about the surgery.

I’m sharing this overview with you now as an introduction to the surgical implant process. Please be aware, each patient is different, and your treatment plan will be extremely individualized. The surgery depends on the site in question. As mentioned in my earlier blog, I’ll be making sure there is enough bone for a successful implant. Or, we might first need to explore bone regeneration options. Be assured, the process will be fully explained during the diagnosis and treatment plan phase.

Once you have enough bone to successfully hold an implant, we will schedule the first procedure – placing the implant or implants in your jaw. A plastic surgical guide will be fitted over your existing teeth and will extend over the area where teeth are missing to show where the implants need to be placed. A root-form implant will be placed in the jawbone in the space created by the missing tooth. After the first surgery, we’ll wait four or five months (if implants were placed in the lower jaw,) or six or seven months (if placed in the upper jaw). During this time, the bone and the implants fuse. Once the implants have become fused with the bone, we’ll schedule the second surgery – which will be significantly simpler than the first.