First Dental Implant Appointment.
Pasadena, Texas Dentist Michael Nugent will examine your mouth and check several factors to see if you are a good candidate for dental implants. Dr. Nugent will go over the process and steps of a dental implant. Then you will take a 3-D cone beam x-ray. Dr. Nugent’s assistants will use a computer scanner to capture the teeth and soft tissue in your mouth. This data will be merged with the 3-D x-ray so Dr. Nugent can plan the ideal implant placement. This pre-planning on the computer is vital so Dr. Nugent will know if the dental implant can be safely placed at his office or if a referral to his Oral Surgeons is warranted.
Dental Implant Second Appointment.
Your implant dentist will make a small incision to expose the bone. Then begin the process of inserting the implant into the jaw bone. A healing abutment is placed into the implant to prevent bone and tissue from growing into the screw threads. The gum tissue is placed back into its normal position. The dental implant is left alone for approximately four to six months. This time allows the dental implant fuse to the bone and become anchored into the jaw bone. Furthermore, if specific conditions are present the patient can wear a temporary crown for cosmetic purposes. This is usually reserved for the front teeth. If a temporary crown is not advisable then Dr. Nugent will fabricate a temporary partial denture that will fill in the missing tooth space.
Dental Implant Third Appointment.
When the dental implant has fused with the bone, precise dental impressions will be taken. Patient returns to Dr. Nugent’s office. The healing cap is taken off and an impression post is placed. Detailed impressions are taken. The impression post is removed and the healing cap is screwed back onto the dental implant. The dental lab will fabricate a custom abutment and porcelain crown.
Dental Implant Fourth Appointment.
Patient returns to Dr. Nugent’s office. The healing cap is removed and the custom abutment is screwed into the dental implant. Then the beautiful porcelain crown is tried in. The bite is checked. Then the crown is cemented onto the custom abutment. The excess cement is cleaned. The patient now has a beautiful new tooth that looks, feels and functions just like a natural tooth.
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