Dental Implant Procedure

Traditionally, dental implant procedure and restoration was long and labour-intensive for the patient. Typically, the general practitioner would first refer the patient to an oral surgeon or a periodontist for evaluation to see if the patient was a suitable candidate for implants. If yes, another appointment with the specialist would be scheduled during which the implant would be placed and covered with a healing abutment. The patient would then have to wait three to six months to allow for healing and osseointegration (growth of bone around the implant). If successful, during yet another appointment the healing abutment is removed and the restorative abutment is placed. The patient is then referred to the prosthodontist for restoration (crown, bridge, etc.).

Today, when implants are placed and restored directly by a prosthodontist such as Dr. Shaw, the long and arduous process can be shortened and simplified. Dr. Shaw, being a well-trained and experienced prosthodontist can plan and carry out the entire treatment from start to finish. This tends to reduce the number of appointments for dental implant procedure and the number of invasive procedures required. In fact, as mentioned before, it is possible in some cases to place the implants and restore them with temporary crowns in the same appointment (Teeth-in-an-Hour). Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.