What To Expect During Dental Implant Surgery
OKC Dental Arts can coordinate every stage of your dental implant surgery with a skilled oral surgeon. We will handle all treatment planning at our Oklahoma City, OK, practice. In addition, our dental team will provide surgical guides to your surgeon to ensure the optimal placement of your dental implants. After your procedure, we can attach a high-quality restoration to your implants for a fully restored smile.
Understanding The Implant Treatment Process
Restoring your smile with dental implants typically requires several months to complete. However, the initial implant placement procedure typically takes only a few hours. Several factors can affect how long the initial surgery takes, including:
- Which teeth need replacing
- How many teeth you need to replace
- The need for tooth extractions
Placing a single implant to support a dental crown generally takes an hour or two. However, your surgery will likely take longer if you need enough implants to support a full denture.
Dr. Fling and Dr. Cord can discuss your medical history and any concerns you have during your initial consultation. They will also create a customized treatment plan so you can have a better sense of what to expect throughout treatment.
What To Expect During The Procedure
There are typically two distinct phases involved in dental implant surgery. Since you will need to heal between each phase, your treatment could take six to nine months to complete.
During the first phase of treatment, your oral surgeon will place the implant posts. A typical implant surgery has several steps:
- Your surgical team will administer local anesthetic. In most cases, some type of dental sedation is also provided.
- The surgeon makes an incision into the gum tissue to access the bone.
- A specialized drill is used to create a space in the jaw for the implant.
- The implant is placed.
- The incisions are closed with sutures, covering the tops of the implants.
Over the next few months, the implant posts will fuse with the surrounding bone tissue. Dr. Fling and Dr. Cord and your surgeon will work together during this time to monitor your progress.
When both phases of your dental implant surgery are complete, Dr. Fling and Dr. Cord can take impressions and complete your treatment with a beautifully realistic implant-supported crown, bridge, or denture.
Once your implants have fully integrated into your jaw, you will undergo the second phase of treatment to place abutments onto the implants. These devices will connect your implants to your restorations. When both phases of your dental implant surgery are complete, Dr. Fling and Dr. Cord can take impressions and complete your treatment with a beautifully realistic implant-supported crown, bridge, or denture.
Learn More Today
If you are missing one or more teeth, you need a solution that can restore your smile before other oral health issues develop. Dental implants are the gold standard in modern tooth replacement treatments. Dr. Fling has over 34 years of experience in providing high-quality implant-supported restorations. For more information about implant surgery or the other aspects of implant treatment, contact our office online or call (405) 848-6743 today.