Dental Implant Process

Dental implants are a revolutionary way to restore your smile. However, the process of placing dental implants isn’t that difficult to explain.

Your Initial Consultation with Our Implant Dentist

Dr. Terence Lau, Dr. Casey Lau, and our dedicated team have been restoring smiles with dental implants for people in Northridge and the surrounding area for over 30 years. We have the training and experience to make sure the process proceeds as smoothly as possible.

During your initial consultation with Dr. Terence or Dr. Casey, we’ll perform a complete examination to diagnose your unique situation. If our dentist decides that dental implants are the best way to restore your smile, we can begin the dental implant process.

To start the implant process, you’ll sit down with someone from our office to review your timeline for receiving dental implants and go over your financing options.

Preliminary Supplemental Procedures

Sometimes our dentist determines that a patient who’s a good candidate for dental implants requires one or more supplemental procedures to prepare for the implant process. These procedures include bone grafting, sinus augmentation, gum grafting, and ridge modification. All of these procedures are provided by our dentist in our office.

Step 1: Placing the Fixture

The fixture is the base of the dental implant. It’s made from titanium and is designed to develop a secure bond with your jaw through a process known as osseointegration. Dr. Lau will create a small hole in the jawbone and surgically place the implant fixture. Then he will cover the fixture with a temporary crown to protect the surgical site until you’re ready for the next phase of the dental implant process.

Step 2: Recovery from Implant Surgery

Once the fixture is placed, you’ll need time to heal and allow the fixture to become fully integrated with your body before you go on to the next step in the process.

Plan to scheduled some time to relax and recover following your implant surgery. Patients commonly experience some pain and swelling for up to 3 days following the procedure. It’s essential to rest and relax at home and follow all of your dentist’s recommendation at this time.

Step 3: Placing Your Restoration

As soon as the implant fixture has developed a secure bond with your body, our implant dentist will complete the procedure by placing your abutment and crown.

The abutment goes in the middle, connecting the fixture to your implant crown. The porcelain crown goes on top and it’s the only part of the implant that your friends will see. The crown is custom-crafted to match your smile for natural looking results.