Dental implants are an essential part of dentistry, but they are also a complicated procedure, with lots of new vocabulary. Dentists have their own dictionary of words that can often be confusing for those with limited dental education. We will let you in on some of these insider terms to better understand how dental procedures work!
Implant Placement And Tooth Restorations
You may have heard the terms “placing” dental implants and “tooth restorations”, especially if you’re shopping around for restorative dental work. Here is a step-by-step distinction between these two terms to help you stay involved if you need this procedure.
Receiving replacement teeth requires multiple procedures to help your teeth stay secure. Read more for more information about the process and the words we use to describe the process. Feel free to call our office if you have any questions about how dental implants work!
Step 1 | The First Appointment
The first step in replacing your smile is meeting with our dental team. During this visit, we will go over your symptoms and determine whether dental implants and restorations fit your needs.
Dental implants are great for patients who currently deal with severely broken or completely missing teeth. This trauma can occur due to dental decay or accidents that injure your grin. Our dental practice will also check your health history to make sure that your jawbone and overall oral health are ready to support tooth replacements long-term.
Step 2 | Placing Dental Implants
To replace your tooth, you will first need to place a dental implant to substitute the dead tooth root. Placing dental implants is the act of inserting a metallic tooth root to replace any damaged tooth roots. You can think of it as the wire that holds your replacement tooth together.
Dental implants are built to function similarly to the rest of your tooth roots. It often takes some time for the dental implant to adjust to your smile, but once it has blended in it can last a lifetime time with proper care and maintenance!
Step 3 | Healing Period
An essential part of this dental procedure is making sure that your smile adjusts after the procedure. This step often takes time to make sure that the implant is well-adjusted to its new environment.
Part-way through the healing period we will place an abutment, which will help support the restoration. The abutment is the link between the dental implant and the restoration.
We will give you instructions on how to take care of your smile, especially your dental implant, before we place your implant.
Step 4 | Restoring Your Smile
The next step is to restore the smile by using substitute teeth. Some examples of replacement teeth include dental crowns, bridges, and dentures. Our dental team will choose a form of replacement teeth depending on the number of replacements and your personal needs.
Once the tooth has been fully restored, the procedure is complete! A replacement smile can improve aesthetics, digestion, and speech articulation.
Choose A Dentist Who Does It All
Many dentists are not able to place dental implants due to the service being a more extensive procedure. In these cases, many patients find themselves having to go to another practice and then use their cosmetic dentist to put the dental restoration in place.
Bridge Creek Dental eliminates this hassle by having both procedures done in our office! Our expansive dentistry, on top of anxiety-reducing and pain-relieving methods, makes our Montana clinic an easy choice for patients seeking replacement smiles.
Improve Your Smile With Bridge Creek Dental
Now that you understand the terminology of dental implants, we would be more than happy to show you how the job is done. If you need to replace broken teeth, call Bridge Creek Dental to schedule your first visit today! Our Billings, MT team is happy to help!