Osseointegration
Dublin, OH

Dental implants are growing in popularity, with over a half a million people choosing to get them done every single year. As a restoration that is surgically placed into your jawbone directly, a dental implant is a permanent solution to your tooth loss and can last you the rest of your life if you take good care of it. They are sturdy and strong and look and feel just like real teeth. The secret to their success, however, is a combination of factors.

First, you need the skill and knowledge that you can find with us here at Rekos & Border Oral Surgery to make your dental implant surgery a resounding success. Second, the material that we use in your dental implant allows your body to accept the implant, allowing you to be a durable and sturdy addition to your smile. This is known as osseointegration and is the reason the implant is not rejected by your body.

What are Dental Implants?

Before you can understand the process of osseointegration, you first need to know what a dental implant is and how it works.

A dental implant is made up of three main parts. The first part of the implant is the titanium screw. This is the part that is surgically placed into your jawline. Next, you have the abutment. The abutment is the connector part that attaches to the titanium screw. It attaches to the final part of the implant, which is the part that resembles the tooth. This piece is known as the restoration. Together, these three pieces make up the complete dental implant.
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What is Osseointegration?

In the past, dental implants were tricky to imagine and constantly eluded us. Even though dental healthcare professionals understood how to perform the surgery to place the dental implant, time and again the surgery was a failure. The body would reject the implant, no matter what we tried.

Finally, an orthopedic surgeon discovered that when titanium was introduced into the body, the body did not reject this metal. Instead, the bone would start to build up around the titanium and fuse to it. This is known as osseointegration. By building up around the implant, the bone reinforces it.

Getting a Dental Implant

The procedure to get a dental implant is both safe and outpatient and can typically be completed in an hour to an hour and a half. We will start by revealing the bone by placing a careful incision into your gums. The titanium screw will then be placed directly into your jaw; then we will suture the surgical site closed.

While the procedure itself does not take long, we do need to wait up to six months or longer before we can finalize the implant and place the restoration. That is because we need osseointegration to occur, which means the implant will be secure inside your mouth. Once adequate bone has built up around the implant, we can finally place the restoration, completing your implant procedure.

Dental implants are a fantastic option for many of our patients, giving them an attractive and long-lasting replacement option for their lost teeth. If you would like to learn more about Dental Implants, or you would like to set up an appointment with us for a consultation for this procedure, please give us a call here at Rekos & Border Oral Surgery today at (614) 764-9455!