Your unique treatment begins with a personalized consultation. We’ll talk about your smile goals and get complete diagnostics, including CBCT imaging, to assess your jawbone health. Reabsorption after a single missing tooth may not require bone grafting, but we’ll determine this by evaluating the 3D scans. If your tooth is still intact, but it’s too damaged or decayed to save, we’ll perform a tooth extraction, which we can usually do the same day we place your dental implant. Our partnering dental lab will then create the custom surgical guide for our oral surgeon. We’ll have your temporary restoration ready, which you’ll receive the day of surgery.

Many of our patients are relieved to find that dental implant surgery using a custom guide is minimally invasive. Although a local anesthetic is all that is necessary to eliminate pain during the procedure, we understand that some patients have different levels of anxiety, so we also offer nitrous oxide and IV sedation Our oral surgeon will place your dental implant using the guide to precisely position the implant post into your jaw for a natural-looking new dental crown. Then, if your dental implant has enough primary stability, we’ll attach the temporary restoration, providing a natural feel and look while healing.

While your mouth heals from surgery, your natural bone will begin to grow around the implant post in a process known as osseointegration. This integration gives dental implants their strength and stability! When this healing phase is complete, usually a few months after surgery, you’ll have your temporary removed and your permanent dental crown attached to the dental implant instead. This crown is made from a block of ceramic or porcelain, two incredibly strong materials with the color and translucency of natural teeth. If you practice great oral care, maintain healthy habits, and visit our dentists semiannually for cleanings, your dental implant could last your entire life!