Supporting Your Dentures with Dental Implants: A Timeline

Part of any treatment process is figuring out how long the process will take and what you need to do to fit each phase into your schedule. So it’s only natural to wonder what the timeline would look like for a set of implant dentures! There are a few more steps involved in an implant denture treatment than there are for traditional dentures, making it especially important to get a good idea of what to expect. Here’s how your dentist in Buffalo Grove will support your dentures with dental implants.

Consultation

Before your dentist can start preparing your smile to receive implant dentures, they’ll have to confirm a few details with you first. During your consultation, they will:

• Review your health history
• Discuss your treatment expectations
• Check for oral health conditions
• Finalize the details of your treatment plan

Basically, you and your dentist will work together to personalize your treatment experience and promote successful implant dentures. This typically takes just one appointment.

Preliminary Treatments

If your dentist in Buffalo Grove identified an active oral condition while examining your mouth, you’ll need to restore your health in order to avoid treatment complications. This is the purpose of preliminary treatments, which could involve procedures such as:  

• Gum disease therapy
• Tooth extraction
• Bone grafting

The length of preliminary treatments depends on the severity of your condition, which procedure you need, and how well you recover. In general, though, you can expect this to take at least a couple of weeks.

Dental Implant Surgery and Osseointegration

Once your smile is healthy and ready, you’ll meet with a local oral surgeon for dental implant surgery. These specialists can place implants along the jawbone in a matter of hours, but afterwards, you’ll have to wait somewhere between three to six months for osseointegration to occur. This is a natural process where biocompatible implant posts fuse with the jawbone to form the foundation of a dental implant restoration.

Disturbing osseointegration will cause your implant denture to fail, so it’s very important to follow your post-op instructions during this time!

Denture Customization

Customizing the denture portion of your restoration is a complex process in its own right! When osseointegration is complete, your dentist will take impressions of your mouth and send the measurements off to a dental lab for fabrication. It will take about two weeks for the technicians to finish crafting your dentures.

Actually attaching the denture to your dental implants is relatively simple, and can be done in just a few minutes. All told, the implant denture treatment process does take several months. However, once your restoration is secured, you’ll be able to enjoy a full, seamless smile for years to come!

About the Author

Dr. Natalya Nagornaya is determined to provide the best possible dental care for her patients and prioritizes continuing education to keep her skills sharp. These advanced opportunities empower her to deliver quality implant denture restorations capable of lasting a lifetime. To start the process and schedule your implant denture consultation today, contact Dr. Nagornaya’s office at 847-634-2525.