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Dental Implant Placement

Dental implants are replacements that look and function like your natural teeth. If you are missing one or all your teeth, this is an excellent option for you, but you must meet the requirements to receive implants. If this is an option you want to pursue, we will schedule an evaluation at New Heights Dental & Braces to go over the dental implant process and determine if you need any other procedure before your surgery. Once we decide you are a good candidate for dental implants, we will schedule you for a complete evaluation of your oral health, and we will discuss your customized treatment plan. Every patient has different needs and circumstances which will impact the dental implant placement surgery.

Dental Implant Placement Procedure Steps

Dental implants are used to replace one or several teeth. If all your teeth are missing, we have the All-on-4® Treatment Concept technology available to replace all the upper and lower teeth, in one appointment.

Dental implant surgery is usually performed in stages. If we use All-on-4 surgery, there will be fewer stages, but you still need to come in for follow-up appointments after the surgery. In general, the dental implant placement procedure steps are:

•	Removing decayed or loose teeth: this is done in preparation for the implants.
•	Preparing the jawbone: if you have enough bone in the jaw, you may not need any other procedures, but some patients require bone grafting or a sinus lift that can support a dental implant.
•	Healing the jawbone: during this time the jaw heals from the surgery when it is needed.
•	Placing the screw or the titanium post in the jaw: our surgeon makes an incision in the gum to expose the bone. He or she drills holes where the titanium post will be placed deep in the jawbone so that it can support the crown.
•	Recovering from the surgery for several months: in this step your jaw recovers from the surgery and the titanium stake fuses with the bone. The stake becomes the root for your new teeth. It is important to allow you to fully recover from the surgery so that the implant can be successful.
•	Placing the abutment or connector to hold the crown: this is the extension that will hold the crown in place. In some cases, we can add this at the same time as the implant.
•	Healing of the gum tissue: your gums will need a few weeks to heal from this procedure.
•	Setting the permanent crown: after the implant is placed in the jaw, you will go home with a temporary set of teeth that you can remove to eat. These need to be removed and cleaned at night to avoid decay. Once your gums are healed they are ready to receive the crown which is attached to the connector in the final stage.

Everyone will react to the surgery process differently, but depending on the patient, the entire process can take up to a year. Most of the time you will be healing from one of the procedures. After the permanent crown is added, you will need to come back for one or more follow-up visits to make sure you are healing. For more information on the dental implant placement process, please call New Heights Dental & Braces at (210) 625-4599.

New Heights Dental & Braces

7700 Broadway
San Antonio, TX 78209

Convenient parking is available directly in front of our office.

T: (210) 625-4599
F: (210) 828-3205

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We look forward to seeing you smile!