Dental implants; how they are fitted

Curious about what goes into fitting an oral implant?

At High Dental Implants, we have fitted many patients with a dental implant Melbourne and know the fitting process inside and out, so when you come to us for this procedure, you are coming to true experts!

Here, we discuss what goes into the general fitting of a dental implant Melbourne.

Consultation

A key part of having a dental implant Melbourne fitted is determining suitability, which we will do at your initial consultation.

During this appointment, we will take X-rays to ensure that you have an adequate amount of healthy jawbone, and we will also ask you a myriad of health-based questions to ascertain your suitability.

Fitting

The fitting of oral implants can take many hours, depending on how many you are having fitted, so we may choose to spread the fitting itself over multiple appointments.

Generally, we will numb the gum, and make some incisions into the gums where we are planning to fit the implants. If you have an open socket, we will use this to place the implant or we will drill a small hole into your jawbone.

Once the implant has been fitted, we will sew the gum back together around the implant site and the procedure is complete.

Aftercare

After you have had your oral implant surgery, you will need to take care to avoid eating foods that are too spicy or too hard; this is to prevent aggravating the gum line and of course to ensure that no unnecessary pressure is placed on the newly fitted implant(s).

We will also advise you to eat softer, healthier foods and it may even be worth buying some soup! We also generally advise our patients who have had oral implants fitted to stay hydrated, sleep with their heads slightly elevated and avoid smoking or consuming excessive amounts of alcohol.

As part of your aftercare, you will need to see our team for check-ups.

Loading

After around 3-6 months, our team will book an appointment with you so we can check that the implants have fused to your jaw; this will typically be confirmed using an X-ray.

If all is well, we can begin the loading; this is where we attach the prosthetic tooth or teeth to the implant(s) to complete the procedure.

The loading process can take upwards of an hour, but should not cause any discomfort as we are simply attaching the teeth to the part of the implant that is protruding above your gum line.

Maintenance

Once your oral implants are loaded, you are ready to use them as you would your normal teeth!

We will have worked with you to ensure that your aesthetic goals are met, so they will seamlessly blend in with your surrounding teeth and complement your smile.

However, just because they are false teeth does not mean that they don’t require maintenance!

You will need to brush them every day as you would your natural teeth, to remove plaque that can lead to gum disease. You will also need to attend biannual check-ups with our team, so we can check for signs of gum disease, and ensure that the implants are staying in place.

If you have any concerns that your oral implants are coming loose, please contact us as soon as possible.

DISCLAIMER

All treatment carries risks. Individual consultation is required with one of our practitioners to ensure that the treatment is right for you.