Your First Dental Implant Procedure: What to Expect

You might have been told that you would benefit from a dental implant. These small surgical-grade titanium rods are vital in restoring fullness and beauty to your smile. They are ideal for patients who are missing one or more teeth and who don’t necessarily want to compromise surrounding teeth with other types of restorations. Having an implant placed for the first time may be a bit frightening to you, but it is an incredibly common procedure that is done comfortably and easily in our office. The fact that your new implant will last a lifetime should also put your mind at ease when it comes to the quality behind the restoration used.

Before you have the implant placed, you will come into the office for a full consultation with Dr. Gurinsky. The consultation is the perfect time for you to ask additional questions about the procedure and what to expect before, during and after the implant has been placed. You will also receive an examination of the area that will be receiving the implant as well as a series of x-rays. The x-rays are meant to determine the quality of the bone that will be receiving the implant as well as to check for any underlying problems. You will then be scheduled for the actual surgery and be given instructions before coming in.

The procedure itself involves either local or general anesthesia, which will be discussed during your consultation appointment. A small incision is made into the gums as well as the bone and the implant surgically placed underneath and into the bone itself. Sutures are used to close the incision that has been made. You will receive aftercare instructions on the best way to care for your new implant. You can expect the implant to heal fully within three to six months.