Costa Rica News – Having a complete set of healthy teeth gives each and every one of us the confidence needed to deal with other people in our everyday lives. But for those unfortunate ones who have decayed or missing teeth caused by oral care negligence, prior injury or periodontal disease, life does not end there.
Because of the continuous research done by dedicated dentists and scientists and the advancement of science and technology, we now have the option to have healthy gums and beautiful white teeth. We can have different dental procedures like bonding and veneers that will change our teeth’s color, shape and spacing; bridges and dentures that will restore our damaged tooth or replace a lost tooth; crowns that will cover the damaged part of our tooth; root canal treatment, a procedure that enables the removal of infected, injured or dead pulp from the tooth. There are also other dental treatments that are being done to patients with oral problems but the most effective solution in the market is a procedure called dental implants.
Dental implants surgery is an outpatient procedure that is performed in many stages that takes six months to more than a year to complete depending on the patient’s oral health condition.
The first stage of a dental implant procedure is the removal of the patient’s damaged tooth followed by a jawbone surgery that may involve bone grafting. Bone grafting is done when a patient’s jawbone does not have enough bones, too thin or too soft to support the implant. With bone grafting, a small piece of bone is taken out from another part of the jaw and transplanted to the area that needs new bone growth. Once there are enough bones in the area where a dental implant is required, the next stage is performed.
Once the jawbone heals, the dentist will place dental implant metal post into the jawbones. This surgical phase is done with the help of local anesthesia or IV sedation. After the mouth is numbed with anesthesia, an incision is made in the area of the gums where the implant is required to expose the bone where the metal post will be placed. When the bone underneath the gums is exposed, a small hole is drilled into it and the metal post is then embedded. Afterwards, a second component is screwed into the implant and will remain in place during the healing process. The gums are then closed over the implant and the patient had to wait for a few months for the implant to be securely attached to the bone.
The next phase begins with the re-exposure of the implant, unless another component is placed over the implant above the gums, and a small extension is placed on the implant for impressions taken. These impressions are then sent to the lab for the precise fabrication of crowns that will be used as the patient’s artificial teeth.
The last step of a dental implant procedure is the actual placement of the new crowns. Depending on which tooth is being restored, the dentist may try in the new crown before permanently mounting it to the exposed part of the implant to check its shape and fit to the mouth.
After the surgery, the patient may experience some discomfort that normally comes with any dental procedure like swelling of the gums and face, pain at the implant site, minor bleeding and bruising of the gums and skin.
Costa Rica because of its proximity to the USA is becoming a more and more popular dental destination to both save money on dental procedures such as porcelain veneers, dental implants or a full mouth restoration and have a dental vacation.
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