Description
Dr. Valenzuela explains dental implants and how they can repair a compromised smile. He explains candidacy and describes the placement procedure. He offers sedation to make the procedure as comfortable as possible.
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A dental implant is a titanium post or titanium screw that is inserted into the jawbone and left to heal or left to integrate into the bone. A good candidate for dental implants is a patient that has lost one tooth or multiple teeth or all their teeth, that have good health, that is not diabetic or not a smoker, that has good bony foundation.
The procedure is quite simple and we've made this into a process where a patient comes in, we first examine them, then take a CT scan or a CAT scan to see a 3D rendering of their bone height and width, their bone volume, their bone density. And afterward, we select or customize the implant according to their bony areas. We expose, or we open a small incision, very tiny incision, to expose the bone and with increasing size drills, we drill into the bone and place the implant.
The actual procedure for the implant placement takes 15 minutes and the recovery time is three to four days. It's very similar to the discomfort level associated with an extraction or a deep cleaning. We offer sedation, as well as IV medications when it's a larger procedure or just painkillers and anti-inflammatory to help the patient not be uncomfortable during their post-op healing.
