Missing or damaged teeth make chewing difficult and undermine your smile. Dental implants offer a safe and convenient way to replace missing teeth. If your tooth is severely damaged, extract it with the roots and replace it with a dental implant. Timing for implant placement is crucial for success. So, how soon can you get dental implants after teeth extraction? Read on to find out.
Why is dental implant placement time-sensitive?
A dental implant replaces a tooth with titanium roots and an artificial crown. First, your dentist administers local anesthesia or IV sedation to ensure the dental implant procedure is pain-free. Then, they’ll remove pieces of decayed, broken, or damaged teeth to be replaced with implants- the titanium tooth roots attach to the jawbone. So, your jawbone and gum tissue should be healthy and stable to support your implant. Natural tooth roots stimulate bone growth around the jawbone. After losing your tooth, the area around the gap deteriorates due to a lack of stimulation. This process is clinically known as bone loss and worsens with time.
If you wait a long time to replace your tooth, you'll need bone grafting to address bone loss before implant placement. To avoid complications, get your dental implants as soon as possible. Ideally, visit your dentist for consultation soon after losing your tooth or teeth. It would be even better if you could see our dental specialists in Toronto Smile Design - Yokville Dental.
How soon can you get implants after having a tooth pulled out?
Dentists consider several variables to determine the waiting time between tooth extraction and dental implant placement. Your dentist will examine your mouth to check the health of gum tissues and jawbone density. Dentists can recommend immediate, early, or delayed dental implant placement based on test results.
Immediate Dental Implant Placement:
Also known as the type-1 protocol, this option allows dentists to place dental implants right after an extraction. Patients must meet stringent requirements to qualify for immediate dental implant placement. First, you should have healthy gum tissue and sufficient jawbone density. Your dentist will examine the thickness of soft tissues, facial bone integrity, primary stability, and other factors. If you’re eligible, your dentist will surgically insert the implant into your jaw immediately after teeth removal. But you’ll have to wait for your titanium tooth root to fuse with the bone and attain structural stability to support artificial crowns. We call this period, Osseointegration.
Early Dental Implant Placement:
This option consists of type-2 and type-3 protocols. In type-2 protocol, implants are placed about 6-8 weeks after tooth removal. This waiting period ensures the lack of pathology and substantial soft tissue growth before implant placement. If your dentist recommends the type-3 protocol, you must wait 12-16 weeks after tooth extraction to get your dental implants. This period is enough for the gum tissue to heal and stabilize for implant placement.
Delayed Dental Implant Placement:
In type-4 protocol, you must wait 4-12 months to get your implants. This post-extraction healing period ensures the ridge is healed and stable for implant insertion. However, bone loss usually occurs within three months. So, most dentists don't recommend delayed implant placement unless it is medically necessary. For example, severe tooth decay can lead to bone loss. So, you’ll need a bone graft before dental implant placement. In this case, your dentist will recommend the type-4 protocol to ensure the gum tissue around the extraction site fully recovers from bone grafting.
Can dental implants be completed in one day?
Yes, you can. Traditional implants take several months to complete, including 2-4 months for the socket to heal before implant placement. Then, you'll wait 3-6 months for osseointegration or the bone and implant to fuse before an artificial crown is attached to the titanium tooth roots. But innovative clinics like Toronto Smile Design - Yorkville Dental use advanced digital dentistry solutions to deliver same-day dental implants. Your Toronto dentist can complete the entire dental implant procedure in a single sitting. So, you’ll leave the dental clinic with your brand-new replacement teeth.
What is the recovery time for dental implants?
The healing time for dental implants varies depending on the complexity of the procedure and overall oral health. Symptoms subside 5-7 days after surgery. Most people wait 3-6 months for the jaw and gums to heal fully, allowing the dentist to place the artificial tooth on the implant. But several factors determine the dental implant recovery time. For example, a surgical extraction is more intrusive and takes longer to heal than a simple extraction. Bone grafting can also complicate your implant process and extend your recovery time. Follow your dentist’s post-surgery instructions and maintain good oral hygiene to shorten your healing time.
What is the success rate of dental implants?
Dental implants have high success rates of over 95%. These teeth replacements stimulate bone growth. So you won’t have to worry about bone loss around the extraction site. But you’ll need to adhere to the recommended post-surgery diet and instructions. Eat soft foods and avoid cold, hot, chewy, spicy foods, alcohol, and carbonated drinks for the first few days. Drinking from a straw, brushing your teeth, and munching on snacks and nuts can dislodge the blood clot on the site, leading to dry sockets. So, avoid these high-risk activities. Use the prescribed mouth rinse to rinse your mouth gently. Watch for signs of dry socket, including a dislodged blood clot at the extraction site and severe pain a few days after tooth removal. If the bone in the socket is visible, contact your dentist as soon as possible.
