Choosing dental implants is a long-term investment in your health, comfort, and confidence. While the process takes time, each step plays a vital role in ensuring your implant is stable, strong, and built to last for decades. Understanding the dental implant process helps patients feel prepared and confident, from the first consultation through the final crown placement.
Step One: Consultation and Planning
Your implant journey begins with a comprehensive evaluation. An implant dentist in Pikesville will examine your oral health, review your medical history, and take digital images to assess jawbone density and the empty “socket” into which the implant will be placed. This planning phase determines whether preparatory treatments, such as bone grafting or extractions, are needed and establishes a personalized timeline.
Step Two: Implant Placement and Healing
Once planning is complete, the dental implant is surgically placed into a small hole created in the jawbone. This titanium post will act as an artificial tooth root. Once it is securely in place, the implant healing time begins. Over several months, in a process called osseointegration, the implant fuses permanently with the bone. During the implant healing timeline, a temporary restoration (usually a dental crown) may be used to restore biting and chewing function.
Step Three: Abutment and Final Crown
After healing is complete, an abutment is attached to the implant to support the final crown. Then, we take impressions to create a custom restoration that matches your natural teeth in shape and color. Finally, we place the crown, completing your dental implants in Pikesville, MD.
Long-Term Benefits of a Thoughtful Timeline
Though the implant process takes time, your patience is worthwhile. Allowing adequate time for osseointegration (typically 5-6 months) improves implant success and longevity. As titanium is biocompatible and fuses with bone, dental implants function like natural teeth, providing support to preserve bone and eliminating the need to alter neighboring teeth.
Precision-Placed Dental Implants in Pikesville, MD
If you’re in Pikesville and want to learn more about the dental implant process and what to expect at each stage, contact Dr. Mohit Virmani and the experienced Naylors Court Dental team to schedule a consultation.