What Are The Advantages Of A Same Day Dental Implant?
Is it a good thing if your implant dentist tells you that you're eligible for an immediate, same-day dental implant? In many ways, yes it is. Your eligibility indicates that you've maintained a high standard of oral healthcare, otherwise you wouldn't be suitable. What else do you need to know about receiving a same-day dental implant?
Your Oral Health
Aside from the tooth that's being replaced by the implant, you will otherwise have healthy teeth and gingival tissues. Additionally, the portion of your jaw where the implant will be placed (the alveolar ridge) will be in excellent condition, with sufficient density to anchor the implant. These are the basic prerequisites for an immediate, same-day dental implant.
Implant-to-Bone Connection
The implant will be placed in your jaw, have a connective abutment attached to its peak, with your replacement prosthetic dental crown (a fake tooth) then bonded to the abutment. You will walk out of the clinic with your finalized implant and prosthetic tooth. Many patients must wait several months before their permanent prosthetic crown is attached to their implant, and this allows sufficient time for the implant-to-bone connection to form (this process is called osseointegration), with your alveolar ridge literally growing new bone cells to accommodate the implant. Just because you have received a finished implant and prosthetic tooth, it doesn't mean that you can bypass osseointegration.
A Time of Caution
The first few months after receiving a same-day dental implant are a time of caution. An immediate implant is not an implant that's immediately capable of withstanding the bite pressure of a natural tooth, or of a dental implant that has had sufficient time for osseointegration to take place. Applying too much pressure to your implant can disrupt its connection to the bone, destabilizing it, and leading to implant failure. Your dentist can give you precise guidelines, but you can't overexert your new implant and will need to avoid foods that are too crunchy or chewy. Of course, these precautions will cease to be relevant once your implant has properly healed.
Follow-up Appointments
Even though your dental implant was essentially finished in a single session, your dentist will still schedule follow-up appointments. This allows your dentist to chart your healing process, and may involve x-rays to gauge the progress of your osseointegration. Provided you remember that your new implant can't yet withstand the biomechanical forces of a natural tooth or fully healed implant, your osseointegration period should be uneventful. Any discomfort, general irritation, or swelling may indicate a postoperative infection and should be reported to your dentist. Prompt treatment will be needed in the event of any postoperative infection, and any delay can lead to implant failure (so don't wait and see if any suspected infection clears up).
Receiving a same-day dental implant has many advantages, and as long as you diligently follow your dentist's aftercare instructions and attend your follow-up appointments, there shouldn't be any disadvantages.
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