Implant Placement Procedure

Placement of a dental implant requires preparation of the recipient bony site.  The site must be fitted to the size of the implant to be placed. After inserting the implant body, a healing cover is placed through the gum for a period of 2 to 6 months depending on whether or not a bone graft was required at the time of placement.

Once healing is complete, an impression mould is taken of the implant with the adjacent teeth. The implant crown or bridge is fabricated onto a support structure (called an abutment) which is screwed into the implant. If the implants are utilized to support a denture, a special abutment is placed which allows the attachment of the denture onto the implant abutment.

Implants are usually placed on the healed extraction site (4-5 month following tooth extraction), but immediate implant placement on the day of extraction can also be performed if the stability of the implant can be established with or without grafting bone into the extraction socket. Immediate temporary crowns can also be prepared, but only on extremely stable implant since any biting force transmitted to the implant body will cause the failure of the implant.