Welcome to the final installment of this four-part article series in which we speak to a panel of experienced Colorado Springs dentists. In our previous article installment, we delved a little deeper into the exact procedure followed during the replacement of a missing tooth.
Our panel of experts also explained the pain management and sedation techniques typically used by dentists and surgeons. We ended off Part 3 with the revelation that most modern implant procedures can provide patients with implants AND a new tooth on the same day. Let’s get some insight into this before concluding our entire series…
What do you mean by “providing an implant and a new tooth on the same day”? Isn’t a dental implant a replacement tooth?
I won’t have to leave the dentist with a gap in my teeth after dental implant surgery, will I?
“In most cases, no. You can at least be provided with a removable temporary replacement, which will fill the gap left by the missing tooth.”
What if I need more than one tooth replaced? What if a patient has lost most or even all of their natural teeth? How might treatment for advanced tooth loss differ?
“There are a variety of dental implant techniques that can be done to provide edentulous and near-edentulous patients with new teeth and the good news is that one in particular – the All-on-4 protocol – can almost always achieve this in just one day, with a single surgical procedure,” say Colorado Springs dentists. “You will be required to come in for a consultation with your surgeon and this may be followed up by a couple of treatment planning sessions, during which X-rays and molds or impressions will be made of your mouth.”
“The surgery is done during a separate scheduled appointment, which typically the patient is sedated for. A prosthodontist or dentist then attaches a temporary bridge to the implants – complete set of prosthetic teeth – rather than a single dental crown and you’ll then be free to return home. Recovery is typically slightly longer than it is for single dental implant procedures and you may want to take a few days off from work to allow your body the rest it needs to begin healing properly.”
Once a patient’s implants have healed, what will his or her new teeth be like?