The last post, Timeline for Dental Implants - Tooth Extraction, described the timeline for dental implants when Dr. Griffith removes a tooth before installing the dental implant.
Here are the timelines for the last two scenarios where Dr. Griffith does not need to remove a tooth before installing the implant:
Scenario 1 – Dentist replaces a tooth that is already missing
In this scenario Dr. Griffith places the implant screw in the jaw bone and places a small cap over it so the gum heals around it. (Sometimes he simply allows gum tissue to heal over the implant screw, to be uncovered later.) Dr. Griffith might also place a bone graft at this time, to ensure there is enough bone around the implant.
3 months after implant placement: Dr. Griffith removes the cap covering the implant, makes a mold or creates a digital scan in order to prepare the implant crown, and replaces the healing cap back on the implant until the crown is prepared If the healing cap has not yet been placed, he makes a small incision to uncover the implant where the gum tissue has grown over it, and places the healing cap. The gums may then need to heal for about 2 weeks before the final mold can be taken.
2 weeks after the final impression is taken, the implant crown is ready for delivery. The healing cap is removed and the implant crown is attached to the implant – the dental implant is complete.
Scenario 2 – Dentist replaces a tooth that is already missing, but there is not enough bone present to place an implant
In this scenario Dr. Griffith starts the implant process by doing a bone graft when a tooth has been missing a long time and the bone has shrunk too much for the implant screw to be placed. The bone graft helps to build up the jaw bone ridge and prepare it for an implant.
4 to 6 months after bone graft: Dr. Griffith places the implant in the jaw bone and places a small cap over it so the gum heals around it. (Sometimes he simply allows gum tissue to heal over the implant screw, to be uncovered later.)
3 months after implant placement: Dr. Griffith removes the cap covering the implant, makes a mold or creates a digital scan in order to prepare the implant crown, and replaces the healing cap back on the implant until the crown is prepared If the healing cap has not yet been placed, he makes a small incision to uncover the implant where the gum tissue has grown over it, and places the healing cap. The gums may then need to heal for about 2 weeks before the final mold can be taken.
2 weeks after the final impression is taken, the implant crown is ready for delivery. The healing cap is removed and the implant crown is attached to the implant – the dental implant is complete.
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