Dental implants provide a remarkably safe procedure for patients suffering from missing teeth. In fact, 95 to 98 percent of dental implant treatments are successful. The reason our success rate is so high is because we check our patients for a variety of different factors in order to make sure that dental implants can provide the best possible treatment for their missing teeth. This check up is all part of the four-stage dental implant process utilized by Dr. K. Ashraf at his Waterloo, ON area practice. If you would like to learn more about the dental implant process and what each step of it entails, please read on.
The first step of the dental implant process is the consultation. During your consultation, Dr. Ashraf will perform a thorough examination of your oral health in order to determine the quality of your oral health, the type of restoration you might need, and whether or not you will need a supplemental procedure before being able to support implants. He will also use this time to answer any additional questions or concerns about the process that you might have.
During the implant procedure, an implant fixture, which is one of three pieces that make up a dental implant, is embedded in your jawbone. Once in place, the area is then stitched up so that it can properly heal. At this point, an abutment and temporary replacement crown may be attached to the fixture. However, it is not uncommon to wait until after the recovery period before having any other pieces placed.
With the implant fixture in place, your mouth will need three to six months to heal. The reason so much time is required is because it is while your implant heals that osseointegration occurs. Osseointegration is the process of your implant fixture being integrated into your oral anatomy. It is very important that your body has enough time to finish this process as it is thanks to osseointegration that your body gains the ability to directly manipulate your dental implants just like it does your natural teeth.
Once your implant fixture has had enough time to properly heal and osseointegration has worked its magic, you will return to our practice in order to have your restoration placed. This restoration can take the form of a porcelain crown, a dental bridge, or an overdenture. No matter which method we use, we will custom make your replacement teeth based on scans taken of your remaining natural teeth. By taking this extra step, we can ensure that your restoration fits in perfectly among your natural teeth.
Do you reside in the Waterloo, ON area and are currently suffering from the effects of missing teeth? Then you may benefit from treatment with dental implants. By restoring missing teeth with dental implants, you are achieving a quality of restoration that is unmatched by any other form of teeth restoration treatment. If you would like to begin the dental implant process, we encourage you to contact us and schedule a no-obligation consultation with dental implant provider Dr. K. Ashraf today. We look forward to working with you soon!
During this difficult time, we are trying to do our part during the COVID-19 crisis. We are continuing to see patients with dentofacial emergencies. This means as one of the few practices remaining open during this pandemic, we are treating patients with emergencies from our fellow dental colleagues, in the Waterloo and Wellington regions (Waterloo-Kitchener-Cambridge and Guelph and surrounding townships)
We hope to assist and help as many people as we can. We also hope this will reduce the number of patients that are visiting hospitals that can be treated by us, thus freeing up time and room for the hospitals and slowing the spread of this virus.
Some additional steps our practice has taken to slow down the spread of the virus and "flatten the curve" are:
- Sanitation of common areas such as the front entry doors and the waiting room in between every patient
- Appointments are spread out so that the waiting area only has one patient at a time
- All front desk staff are wearing masks
- State of the art air purifiers (Surgically Clean Air Units x5 in total)
- Patients receive gloves upon entering the clinic
And of course we have all required PPE protocol set as a standard by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons and the Province of Ontario.
During this time we all need to help each other and do our part, only then can we pull through this quicker and return to a more happy, thankful and prosperous society.
Wishing you all the best of health,
From our family to yours.