Can I Get Dental Implants On The Same Day I Get My Tooth Extracted?

Patients about to have a natural tooth or more extracted often immediately ask — how soon can I get a replacement?

What are immediate implants?

In a lot of cases, it might be possible to place dental implants on the same day the tooth is extracted. These implants are known as immediate implants. However, immediate implants are not suitable for all cases. They are advisable only if a patient meets certain criteria, as judged by the dental surgeon.

What are the selection criteria for immediate dental implant patients?

Teeth that were fractured in such a way that they cannot be restored, without any underlying infection, can be treated with immediately placed implants.

Badly-decayed teeth in which root canals or crowns are not possible are good candidates for an immediate dental implant as well. This is because they may not have an active infection or draining pus and the surrounding bone is also not destroyed by infection.

The patient should be in good overall health. Their blood glucose levels and blood pressure should be within a normal range. The patient should be free of damaging habits, especially heavy smoking, which tends to decrease the blood flow in the gums and the surrounding areas, compromising the success of the implant. Extensive periodontal disease with bone damage would be another condition that negatively influence the success chances, so immediate implants would not be possible in such cases.

Benefits of immediate dental implants

You avoid multiple surgeries

The main advantage of opting for immediate dental implants, if you are a candidate, is that both extraction and implant placement are carried out in the same sitting. This saves the patient from multiple surgeries, shortening recovery time, time spent at the dentist, and immediately offering a workable smile.

Your total treatment time is reduced

Another big advantage is that immediate implants greatly reduce the duration of treatment. Conventional implant surgery calls for a healing period of four to six months after the extraction. Only then is the implant placed. Immediate implants shorten the healing period and provide the option of delivering the prosthesis much sooner.

It may even be possible to give a temporary crown over the immediately placed implant, thus restoring aesthetics for the patient.

You prevent bone loss

The part of the jaw bone that supports the teeth starts to dissolve as soon as the tooth is extracted. Placing an implant immediately after extraction can limit this process, maintaining bone height. No other tooth replacement method can prevent bone loss after a tooth has been removed, and that is something to be really considered.

Your surgery will be simpler

Immediate dental implants are placed inside the socket created after the extraction of a tooth. This makes the positioning of the implant much easier compared to conventional implants. Also, with the availability of adequate height and width of the bone, a longer implant with a larger diameter can be placed, ensuring adequate stability of the implant.

You reduce the need for extra surgeries

If a considerable time elapses between the extraction of teeth and implant surgery, chances are that the bone wears away to such an extent that the required size of implants cannot be placed. This necessitates performing additional surgeries to increase the height and width of the bone. Immediate implants eliminate the need for surgeries like sinus lifts and ridge splits.

What can you expect from the procedure for immediate dental implants?

Once your dentist deems you fit for immediate implants, they will advise you to undergo a 3D scan known as CBCT to plan the surgery.

The tooth is extracted carefully, taking care that none of the surrounding bone or gums are damaged. Once the tooth is removed, the socket is thoroughly cleaned with instruments to ensure that no infected tissue is left behind and that the new implant has the best chance of success.

After a thorough cleaning, the bone is drilled as needed and the implant is screwed in. A good amount of torque is ensured while screwing in the implant to ensure initial stability — but do not worry, because being sedated, you will only feel some pressure.

Once the implant is in position, the gap remaining between the implant and the surrounding bone is filled with a bone graft. Additionally, a membrane may be placed to prevent the bone graft from getting dislodged. Sutures are given and the site is closed.

If the implant was inserted with a good amount of torque, especially for the teeth being replaced in the front region of the jaw, a temporary crown is usually given in the same sitting, to restore the aesthetics. Care is taken to fabricate the temporary crown in such a way that it does not touch the opposite teeth, to minimize the forces acting on the implant.

Immediate dental implants: Post-surgery care

It is imperative that the patient takes proper care to avoid any complications after the surgery, and that means listening to your dental surgeon's instructions very closely. Medicines prescribed by the surgeon are to be taken regularly as advised to minimize the chances of infections and to reduce the amount of pain and swelling. It is also necessary to maintain proper cleanliness of the oral cavity and avoid any food particles from accumulating at the site of surgery.

Final prosthesis

The final prosthesis is usually given around four to six months after the surgery. This allows for the complete healing of the bone and gums. By this time the implant has fully integrated with the bone and is ready to take the chewing forces.

Conclusion