Dental Implant Procedure

STEP 1: IMPLANT PLACEMENT

1. Examination & Treatment Plan

• Dentists first take overall examination and dental check-ups to determine whether Implant is a viable option. (10 mins)
• Doctors then study CT Cone-beam X-rays to determine the quality and quantity of the client’s bone for and thus will decide if the client needs bone grafting or sinus augmentation. (5 mins)
• Doctors use NOBEL CLINICIAN – a surgical guidance software  to perform virtual 3D surgery on the computer, to select the most suitable location and implant placement size, and then establish a treatment plan for the client (30 minutes).
• Doctor explains the treatment details and procedures to the client to agree on an appropriate treatment plan (10+ minutes).
• Based on the CT data with i-CATVision software and using CAD/CAM technology, a surgical guide will be created in our in-house lab. This guide ensures a faster and more accurate implant placement process

2. Implants surgery

• Doctors will perform minor surgery to place the implant into the bone.
• In certain cases such as patient with long term tooth loss or poor bone quality, etc., adjunctive surgical procedures such as bone grafting or sinus augmentation might be performed as separate procedures or at the same time as the implant placement procedures. Dr. Hung and his associates are experienced maxillo-facial surgeons, well-known in this field. Our sinus augmentation and bone grafting procedures are performed quickly and gently, with 99% success rate.
• For certain surgeries that require anesthetic, our experienced anesthesiologist will perform the general anesthetic procedure to ensure the best treatment for the clients.                           
• A temporary crown or denture will be placed right after the surgery to allow for normal chewing activities.
•  After the surgery, we will need 4 days for post surgery care. We will perform checkup on the wound andcleaning/care procedures to ensure the wound heals quickly and properly (20 minutes per day). 

Total time for step 1: 

• First day: examination and surgery (implant placement, bone graft, or sinus augmentation, etc.).
• Day 2 to 5  : follow-ups / post surgery care. Then you can have some free time for traveling.
• Come back to our dental center on the 10th or 12th days after surgery for final check up.
• As the jawbone heals, the bone will grow around the implanted metal post, anchoring it securely in the jaw. The healing process will take three to six months after the surgery. If you are young and the period from your tooth loss till implant placement is under 6 months, the healing time might be less than 3 months, then you can go through phase 2 for the prosthesis process. In some cases, with good health and excellent jawbone, crown can be attached to the implanted metal post immediately after the implant is placed.

STEP 2: PROSTHESIS (CROWN ON IMPLANTS)

1.  Put the healing cap

• The Doctor puts healing cap on top of the implant. Then you will need to wait a few days for the gum to heal.

2. Install Abutment and crown on implant:

• Once the implant is bonded to the jawbone, a small connector post called an abutment will be attached to the post to securely hold the new tooth. To make the new tooth or teeth, doctor will take impression of your bite/jawbone, and will create a jaw template which captures all of your teeth, their types, and arrangement. The new tooth or teeth is created based on this template. A replacement tooth, called crown is attached to abutment. The Doctor will also match the color of the new teeth to your natural teeth. Because the implants are secured within the jawbone, the crown will look and function similar to your own natural teeth.
• Finally, you will have the “third” teeth which is more perfect than what you have expected.

Total time for step 2 – crown on implant:
– First day: Put the healing caps. Then you will have free time for traveling, while waiting for your gum to heal.
– Come back to our dental center after 5 to 7 days for crown on implant. We will need 3 more days for follow-up procedures and 1 more day for final checkup.

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