A dental implant is one of the most common procedures performed at Parkland dental implants. Implant placement is a surgical procedure typically performed in stages. In this article, we will learn about when to place an implant and the technique used to place it.
Timing of Placement
After an extraction of an existing root or tooth, the implant could be placed immediately or after a period of healing. Scheduling of implant placement is often categorized as:
- Immediate (placement just after tooth extraction).
- Immediate-delayed (inserted after weeks up to a couple of months to allow for soft tissue healing).
- Delayed (placed thereafter in partially or completely healed bone).
When implants are inserted immediately, less time may be needed for the entire procedure, and post-extraction healing will take place concurrently with osseointegration. Additionally, bone volumes may be preserved to some extent, which might enhance the visual appeal. Nevertheless, there may be difficulties in obtaining 1° stability of the implant and a possible lingering dental infection from the removed tooth, which might lead to an osseointegration failure. Unpredictability also exists in bone remodeling and repair. Delayed implant placement may result in a longer course of therapy, but there is still time for bone and soft tissue healing.
This not only permits the infection to resolve but also improves predictability in implant placement, surgical site closure, and attaining 1° stability. On the other hand, if bone resorption occurs after extraction, there won’t be sufficient natural bone available for implant insertion.
Methods of Placement
The patient has to be medically and dentally suitable for the procedure. The planning process ought to have been finished. Before and during implant placement, the surgeon must identify important anatomical structures to minimize the risk of damage such as laceration, section, or compression. The lingual nerve, mental nerve, inferior alveolar nerve, and other tissues are at moderate to high-risk arteries sublingual and submental.
The surgical operation is heavily reliant on the equipment, and the surgeon must be skilled in the specific technique and implant system that will be employed. To prevent overheating the bone and causing bone necrosis, careful technique and continuous irrigation are needed. Using drills designed to match the size and type of the implant, a receiving channel is created in the bone and a gingival–mucosal flap is elevated. Depending on the type of implant, the fixture is either screwed or pressed into position. Surgical guides and direction markers assist achieve parallelism while inserting several implants. Periapical radiographs taken during surgery can be utilized to further evaluate the location of the osteotomy site.
This could be especially important in smaller areas where nearby roots could get harmed. In two-stage operations, the implant has a “cover screw” inserted, and after the treatment, the flap completely covers the implant. A “healing abutment” that extends transgingivally on the implant is positioned in a single step of the process; the gingivae are sutured around it, so by the time the placement appointment is over, it is visible. In two-stage operations, the healing abutment is positioned and the cover screw is removed after the implant head has been “exposed”—or uncovered—for a sufficient amount of integration.
