Immediate implant placement is the placing of a dental implant in a fresh socket immediately after tooth extraction. This procedure is an exciting option when replacing fractured teeth or teeth that failed root canal treatment.
What are the Advantages of Immediate Implant Placement?
- There is no time to wait after extraction. Surgical steps are also reduced.
- Immediate implant placement at the time of extraction preserves bone and prevents shrinkage of gum tissue at the extraction site. This often results in a better aesthetic outcome, especially at the front of the mouth.
- Immediate placement of a temporary implant crown makes it possible to create proper gum and tooth profile during healing. Therefore, avoiding further surgery. It is also exciting for the patient to leave with a fixed cosmetic temporary.
Can Dental Implants be Placed in Any Extraction Socket?
The answer is NO.Certain criteria must be met before you can get an immediate implant placement:
- The extraction socket must be free of active infection and active gum disease. Any existing infection is treated before surgery.
- You must have sufficient amount of bone for initial support of the dental implant. Clinical exam and x-rays (including Cone Beam CT when needed) are done to determine the condition of the bone surrounding the failing tooth. A front tooth implant cannot be immediately placed if there is a big bone defect.
Immediate implant placement requires detailed evaluation and careful treatment planning. During consultation, Dr. Elseweifi will tell you that, immediately after extraction, and before a dental implant is placed, he will re-evaluate the extraction socket. If he does not find enough bone to support the new implant, he will place a bone graft and schedule you for placing the dental implant later.
Steps of Immediate Implant Placement: To place a dental implant in a fresh extraction socket Dr. Elseweifi goes through the following steps:
- The failing tooth is gently extracted to avoid any further damage to the surrounding bone.
- The tooth socket is cleaned and re-evaluated. Dr. Elseweifi makes a final decision about immediately placing a dental implant.
- If there is adequate bone, the implant is placed in the socket achieving initial stability into the bone.
- Bone augmentation is done when needed by placing a bone graft and often a membrane.
- A temporary abutment and a provisional crown are placed if adequate primary stability of the dental implant could be achieved. Otherwise, Dr. Elseweifi places cover screws and suture the gum.
- The patient waits for 3-6 months before the final abutment and implant crown are placed.
- If there is no enough bone due to due to infection or surgery, the socket is augmented by bone graft to preserve the socket. The patient is scheduled for implant placement after 3 months.
What if I cannot Get Immediate Implant placement?
Dr. Elseweifi recommends socket preservation (also know as socket grafting) if you cannot get immediate implants.
Call Bucktown Dental Associates today for a free consultation.