Immediate implant restorations allow patients with missing teeth or dentures to get dental implants and natural-looking replacement teeth in just one office visit. You may have seen ads about Teeth-in-a-Day® or Teeth-in-an-Hour® and thought they sounded too good to be true. These trademarked names, describing an accelerated surgical and restorative protocol, are more commonly known as immediate implant restorations.
The original protocol for dental implants required a 6-month period of undisturbed healing before teeth replacements were attached to the implants. The reasoning behind this protocol is that dental implants will fail if they are allowed to move before fully bonding to the bone (osseointegration) is complete. During the six-month healing period, patients would usually wear dentures or other types of removable dental appliances that were not attached to the implants.
Practitioners were reluctant to alter the 6-month healing protocol because of its almost 100% success rate. Some patients, however, prefer faster results, and this spurred additional research. Further studies showed that if implants were placed in very solid bone, or if multiple implants were splinted together, the implants would remain stable enough to allow osseointegration with nearly the same success rate.
Extensive planning is required and approaches may vary for each patient; the following key elements are integral components of Immediate Implant Restorations:
CT scanning and 3-D imaging allow for extremely precise dental treatment planning. A 3-D printed surgical guide is digitally designed and fabricated to ensure implants are placed in exact locations and in areas of dense, solid bone.
Provisional tooth restorations are made before the appointment.
In a single appointment, old dentures ore failing teeth are removed, several implants are placed evenly around the jaw, and a connected arch of non-removable temporary teeth is attached to the implants.
The provisional teeth restorations remain until osseointegration is complete. With this technique, implants remain stable because they are splinted together, and patients are thrilled that they can avoid a removable denture. Immediate Restorations can also be uwed for single implants when a CT scan shows that the patient's bone is very dense. Permanent tooth restorations are placed once osseointegration is complete.
Immediate restorations give patients a new set of teeth that cannot slip, shift, or fall out, and it allows patients the freedom to eat, speak, and smile with confidence. Results are immediate, so patients don't have to worry about taking time off from work or 'laying low' while the restorations are being made. This procedure can give new hope to denture wearers who want a strong, healthy, and beautiful smile, all in one visit.
