08-06-2003, 11:52 PM
I work at a dentist and the procedure which you are getting done is called a dental implant. You can expect to make about 5 to 7 visits throughout the duration of getting the implant.
Generally the first two visits are used to take a mold of your teeth so that labs can produce a titanium post as well as a composite tooth to place on top of the post. The next two visits are used to place the post, which involves drilling a hole through the gum and into the jaw bone, followed by a visit to remove the sutures from your gums and to check the positioning of the post. They will give you a temporary tooth at this time, then at this point many practices differ in technique.
Some dentists will place the permanent composite tooth about a week or two later, and some will wait about 5 months for osseoregeneration, or the regrowth of the jaw bone around the post.
Many of the patients don't experience much pain during the procedure, as ample amonts of novacain are used. Within the first week after the post is set you can expect some pain, but you can expect the dentist to give you ample amounts of pain medication.
Another thing you may want to do is ask the dentist for a cost estimate, as a single implant can cost in upwards of 1500 to 2000 bucks and many times insurance companies don't cover this charge because they qualify dental implants as "restorative" dentistry.
Generally the first two visits are used to take a mold of your teeth so that labs can produce a titanium post as well as a composite tooth to place on top of the post. The next two visits are used to place the post, which involves drilling a hole through the gum and into the jaw bone, followed by a visit to remove the sutures from your gums and to check the positioning of the post. They will give you a temporary tooth at this time, then at this point many practices differ in technique.
Some dentists will place the permanent composite tooth about a week or two later, and some will wait about 5 months for osseoregeneration, or the regrowth of the jaw bone around the post.
Many of the patients don't experience much pain during the procedure, as ample amonts of novacain are used. Within the first week after the post is set you can expect some pain, but you can expect the dentist to give you ample amounts of pain medication.
Another thing you may want to do is ask the dentist for a cost estimate, as a single implant can cost in upwards of 1500 to 2000 bucks and many times insurance companies don't cover this charge because they qualify dental implants as "restorative" dentistry.
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