Implant Procedures

Consultation. The first step is a consultation with one of our doctors to determine whether or not you are a candidate for implant treatment. This involves a 3D CT scan and may include taking impressions for models of your teeth so that your doctor can develop the ideal treatment plan for your particular situation. If you are missing all of your teeth, you may be scheduled for a consultation with a team of doctors.

During a complete examination of your mouth, your doctor will be evaluating the area(s) of your mouth where teeth are missing, including the amount of bone available to support the placement of implants, as well as the quality and density of the bone. Your doctor will also be evaluating whether additional procedures may be needed to obtain the desired functional and esthetic result. If you have already lost a significant amount of bone, your doctor will also be evaluating the possibility of procedures to add (graft) bone, or create new bone.

Your doctor will also determine whether you are a candidate for Immediate Function procedures. Although this type of treatment allows you to have your replacement teeth much quicker, many patients are not good candidates. Recent advances in technology have resulted in a relatively short treatment time for traditional implant procedures.

Traditional Implant Placement Procedure. The implants are placed in the bone using a gentle surgical technique. Following the implant placement procedure, the implants are left undisturbed for a period of several weeks so that the bone can grow around the implants to form a strong biological bond to them. During this bone remodeling phase, you will have temporary replacement teeth so that you never have to be without teeth during treatment.

Abutment Attachment Procedure. Following the appropriate bone remodeling period, a small connector post called an abutment is attached to each implant. The permanent replacement teeth will eventually be attached to the abutments.

Fabrication of Replacement Teeth. Impressions will be taken of your teeth and the implant abutments; the appropriate shade for your replacement teeth will be selected and then our in-house laboratory technician will fabricate your replacement teeth and the underlying structures that will be attached to the implants. This process can take one to two weeks depending up on the number of missing teeth and the type of replacement teeth.

Immediate Function Procedures For patients who are candidates for Immediate Function procedures, the 3D CT scan is used with virtual planning software to plan the implant placement and the design of the replacement teeth. This is done after the initial consultation and before the appointment for the implant placement procedure.

Immediate Function procedures can be used for the replacement of one tooth, a few teeth, or a full set of teeth. The replacement teeth are usually placed immediately following implant placement - all in one appointment.

All-on-4 Procedure. This unique Immediate Function procedure is very appealing to people who have dentures. After the initial consultation and 3D imagining and planning, patients who qualify for this procedure can replace either an upper or lower denture with just four implants and a full set of replacement teeth in one appointment. This is done without any bone grafting.

More about All-on-4 Procedure »

View animations about dental implants and procedures