If you’ve done some research into dental implants, you’ve probably read that the process can take months. You might also have read that during this time, you might have dental implants in your jaw but no crown or bridge. The prospect of spending months with a big gap in your smile can make dental implants seem less appealing.
Good news: this old-fashioned approach to dental implants is getting less and less common. The new approach, used by Rancho Mirage implant dentist Dr. Rod Strober, means that most people can get their replacement teeth right away. The science suggests that this doesn’t just give faster results; it can also give better results, especially when used with an approach like All-On-X implant dentures.
The Structure of Dental Implants
Knowing the structure of dental implants can help you understand why a dentist might wait months before giving you replacement teeth. A dental implant is made up of at least two parts: the implant and the restoration.
The implant is the artificial tooth root that bonds with the jawbone. The restoration is the visible part of the implant, a dental crown or bridge (denture) that does the chewing and gives you a bright, beautiful smile. Usually, there is also a connection piece between the implant and restoration, called an abutment.
Two Approaches to Dental Implants
There are two main approaches to the dental implant process. These approaches differ in restoring dental implants (placing the crown on them). In the traditional approach, your dental implant is placed in the jawbone, then allowed to heal for several months before the dental crown is placed on top. This is intended to allow the implant to fully integrate with your jawbone before it is subjected to the forces of biting and chewing.
In the other approach, called immediate loading–often marketed under names like teeth in a day or teeth by tonight–your dental implants are immediately topped with a dental crown so that they can be used for chewing and subjected to bite force right away. Rancho Mirage implant dentist Dr. Strober prefers this approach and uses it very successfully with the All-On-X implant system.
How Immediate Loading Can Help
Immediate loading may actually help promote bone healing. Your body decides how much bone to build in places based on the amount of stimulation it receives. This is why your jawbone may lose volume if you have your teeth removed, and some tooth replacement solutions like dental bridges and dentures may not be as good for jawbone health.
Studies have shown that, in some cases, immediate loading improves bone density. That’s because the stimulation of using your implants for chewing helps them to heal. Immediate loading may not only give you your results faster, but it may also give better results.
Proper Management Is Vital
Bite force can stimulate jawbone growth, but it can also lead to dental implant failure. The difference depends on how the force is applied. Excessive or irregular bite force can be bad for your dental implants. In order to get optimal results, it’s important to set up your dental implants so they receive the proper amount of bite force and it’s not too irregular or coming in from the side or other unexpected direction.
This is why Rancho Mirage implant dentist Dr. Strober is a great choice for your implants. He is trained in the science of bite management and can utilize advanced technology like T-Scan to measure the bite force that each individual tooth experiences in real-time as you bite and chew. This helps ensure your dental implants receive enough force to stimulate bone growth but not so much force that they are dislodged.
All-on-X helps with this, too. The use of multiple implants to support a dental bridge balances out the bite forces to make sure that healthy, dense bone grows around the dental implants.
It’s Not for Everyone
Immediate loading is good for some candidates, but it’s not good for everyone. Factors like gum disease and your current jawbone density will impact your fitness for immediate loading of your dental implants. An unhealthy bite may also make it unwise for us to give you immediate loading dental implants.
While some factors might disqualify you for immediate loading before the procedure, your implant dentist must make the final decision at the time of the procedure. When Rancho Mirage implant dentist Dr. Strober installs your implants, he will measure what is called primary stability or mechanical stability. Basically, he will make sure the implants are secure enough to support a dental crown or dental bridge. If they are, he will place the restorations immediately. If they aren’t, then he will follow the traditional approach.
Immediate Dental Implants in Rancho Mirage
Don’t let your internet research make you think it takes months to get replacement teeth with dental implants. Rancho Mirage implant dentist Dr. Rod Strober can help many people get replacement teeth immediately with dental implants.
If you want to learn whether you’re right for immediate loading of dental implants, please call (760) 832-7915 for an appointment with an implant dentist in Rancho Mirage today.
