More About Dental Implants
Implants are the standard of care for replacing missing teeth. In layman's terms, it’s referred to as the
anchor or the screw. Dental implants serve as the bony anchor to support the crown, which is the tooth.
Placement of a dental implant is a surgical procedure, where sequential and very precise steps are taken to
prepare the bone and subsequently place the dental implant. The procedure is most commonly done with intravenous
sedation in the office with minimal post-operative downtime. The dental implant goes through a period of healing
called osseointegration, which usually takes 3 to 6 months. During this period the implant is not seen as it is
covered by the gingiva and remains submerged. Once the implant is integrated the stage 2 procedure is performed
where an extension of the implant is placed through a small incision in the gum. This is known as the healing
abutment, which allows the gums to heal around the healing abutment. This step takes approximately 2 weeks,
after which the restorative dentist can start the process of fabrication of the implant crown - the tooth.
Even though the concept is fairly simple, the procedure is technique sensitive and requires precise planning to
yield the most optimal result. In many instances to achieve the most optimal final result as well as
long-lasting restoration, the underlying bone and soft tissue need to be optimized. The details of grafting are
outlined in the bone grafting section.
Once the missing tooth site is optimized (adequate bone and soft tissue) the placement of dental implants can be
further perfected via virtual surgery, 3D printing, and guided surgery. This cutting-edge technology that is
used at Gold Coast Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Steve Yusupov DDS, MD, FACS guarantees the most optimal setup
for the restorative dentist and ultimately successful outcomes for the patient.
The typical process to get a dental implant starts with evaluation via a clinical exam of the site where one or
several teeth are missing. This is usually followed by a cone beam CT scan, which is a low dose radiation 3D
image to assess the bone volume and quality. Additionally, a 3D scan of the teeth is performed. This is the
novel way of obtaining the impression of the teeth that replaced conventional impressions that were done using
trays and flowing material that needs to sit in the mouth to solidify. A lot of times after all this data has
been gathered a virtual surgery will be performed to determine the most optimal implant position. To transfer
that planned position into reality a guide is 3D printed which will guide the surgery to the most precise
position within a fraction of a millimeter accuracy.
Postoperatively analgesics and antibiotics are usually prescribed and discomfort is comparable or less than after
extraction of a tooth. Once integrated and the healing abutment is put on, the restorative dentist fabricates
the crown. After completion of the entire process, the restored dental implants look like and function like
natural teeth. However, an implant just as a natural tooth can be lost if not cared for properly. We recommend
routine follow-up with the restorative dentist and yearly follow-up with Dr. Yusupov.