The Dental Implant Process
Even though dental implants are the number one recommendation for tooth loss, some people find the length of time to complete the process to be too long. This process can take anywhere from five months to over a year. The patient’s oral health and the complexity of the case will determine how long it will take to complete.
Even considering this, teeth implants offer many more benefits compared to other replacement options. With above a 95% success rate, implant supported restorations are the next best thing to natural teeth and are the worth the time it takes complete the process.
Claremont Dental Institute performs every stage of the dental implant process at our Claremont, CA dentist office. This will save you the time and hassle traveling to multiple dentist offices and specialists. 
Consultation and Planning
At your initial consultation, Dr. Fountain will review your medical history and perform an oral health exam to see if you qualify for dental implants. He will take x-rays and use advanced CT scanning to analyze your teeth and bone tissue. It is important to determine if you have a sufficient amount of bone that can support the implant posts.
At your implant consultation, you and your dentist can discuss your concerns and they will be able to answer all your questions. Dr. Fountain will develop a customized treatment plan to map out every step of your implant process. He will determine how many implants and what kind you need, and what type of dental restoration will work best for you.
During your dental exam, your dentist may discover issues that we will need to address before we can place the implant posts. It is important that your oral health is good to create a healthy environment for the implants to heal properly.
This could include a bone graft for patients who do not have enough bone structure, gum disease treatment, or tooth extractions. If no pre-treatments are necessary, you can schedule your implant surgery. If you do require additional treatment first, this will extend the amount of time the whole dental implant process will take.
Surgical Placement of the Dental Implants
On the day of your surgery, Dr. Fountain will surgically place your dental implants in your jaw bone in the precise location determined during the planning phase. It typically takes about an hour to place a single implant. Multiple dental implants and more complex cases will take longer. Generally speaking, the more implant posts you need, the longer the surgery will take.
After your surgery, the implants will fuse with the surrounding jaw bone to create a durable and stable bond. This process in known as osseointegration. It can take about three to six months. Your dentist will place a healing cap on the top of the implant or, depending on the location of your missing teeth, a temporary dental restoration while the implants heal.
Placing the Final Restoration
The final step in the implant process is to attach your custom dental restoration. You will return to our Claremont, CA dental office for the final placement of your restoration after your mouth heals over the implant and your jawbone fuses with it.
If you are only missing one tooth, your dentist will attach a dental crown to a single implant. If you have several consecutive missing teeth, the dentist will place a dental bridge to two or more implants. Our dentist will place your new implant denture if you were missing most or all of your teeth.
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