Teeth in a day!
What a wonderful idea. Unfortunately many dental offices offer this service under false pretenses. While it is possible to restore your smile in one appointment, many months are needed to complete dental restoration properly and appropriately, especially when dental implants are involved.
Dental implants can often be placed immediately after tooth extraction and a temporary crown or bridge can be placed on the implants as well. Yes, all this can be done in one appointment. However, it is important to remember that implants require a minimum of four to six weeks to completely fuse to bone. Prior to that, they are vulnerable to failure and bone loss. The gum tissue around the implant also changes during this time.
Changes during the healing process can affect the appearance and function of implants. That is why the permanent prosthetic teeth should not be made until final healing of the bone and gum tissue around the implants is complete.
It is always best to place a temporary restoration on dental implants when they are first placed, followed by the permanent restoration upon complete healing.
Reality
In my experience as a specialist, most patients who need multiple dental implants usually don’t have enough bone to initially place the implants. This automatically excludes them from being candidates for immediate implant placement. No matter how you spin it there is no way to place an implant into an area that doesn’t have a solid bone foundation.
We can still help these folks, it just means that we will have to graft bone prior to placing the implants. This is not a complex procedure, it just takes time. We can’t rush the healing process and everyone heals at a different rate. These patients still receive a same day smile but it is temporary. They wear a temporary bridge or retainer during the healing process and receive their permanent teeth upon complete healing of the implants.
Remember
- Implants require weeks or months to heal completely
- Many patients require bone grafts
- Permanent restorations should only be placed on healed implants
- Smiles can be restored in a day but on a temporary basis only
You deserve the best treatment, not the quickest. Be true to yourself and feel good about your personal investment.