Are you living in Hartford, CT and dealing with tooth loss? If so, you may be wondering what your options are for replacing your missing tooth or teeth. Maybe you are feeling a bit daunted by all the information on the internet and you’ve come to Capitol Dental Associates to provide you with the reliable dental information you need.
Our dental team has worked with countless patients in Hartford who have lost permanent teeth due to infection, decay or trauma, and we can also help you. So many people have turned to dental implants to replace their missing teeth and it could just end up the treatment you’ve been looking for. Let us tell you more about implants and how they work.
The purpose of an implant is to replace your missing tooth’s roots. Tooth roots stimulate the jawbone and even promote the development of new bone cells, which in turn prevents bone loss. This is why replacing tooth roots is imperative for good oral health. Once we have determined that you are a good candidate for implants, we will help you schedule your first surgery.
This minor surgery is performed at one of our referral offices under local anesthesia, which means that the area that is treated will be completely numb. During the procedure, they will open up the gums where your missing tooth used to be. Once the jawbone is revealed they will drill a small hole into the bone. This is where your implant will be placed.
It will take several months after your surgery for everything to heal. During this recovery period, something pretty incredible will happen. The bone and tissue surrounding the implant will fuse with the titanium structure to become one. Once this has occurred it’s now time to begin the next phase in your implant treatment.
Depending on the type of implant you get, the implant may also contain an abutment or the abutment may need to be placed. An abutment serves one purpose: to connect the implant with the artificial tooth. If the abutment isn’t part of the implant, our dentist will need to perform another minor surgery to attach the abutment to the implant. After giving your gums several weeks to heal, we will then secure your custom-made dental crown over the abutment to complete your restoration.