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Dental implants may be the most sophisticated restorative technique known to modern dentistry, and for that reason can be a lengthy process - sometimes requiring several appointments over many months.

This is because the metal used for the artificial roots - titanium - must actually become fused with the bone tissue. Often, bone augmentation, or bone grafts are required.

Before dental implants are to be used, the dental specialist - called a prosthodontist - examines the patient’s jaw thoroughly in order to determine how to proceed, taking careful note of the location of vital nerves.

In most cases, the procedure for dental implants starts with an osteotomy, meaning the dentist actually drills a hole into the patient’s jawbone. This hole is usually drilled in stages, using a series of progressively larger drills. The titanium screws that serve as the new roots are roughened and set in place; a “cover screw” is put over the implant and the gum tissue sutured together in order to protect the area during the process of osseointegration, or fusing of bone with the implant. This healing process can take several months.

Once the prosthodontist has determined that osseointegration has taken place, the implant is uncovered, and an abutment and temporary crown are set into place in order to allow the gum to grow into the proper shape. Once this has happened - again, a process of several weeks or even months - the permanent crown is placed.

While dental implants are successful in 90 - 95% of all cases, they can fail due to a number of reasons - usually related to the implant’s failure to osseointegrate properly. They can also fail due to a patient’s failure to brush and floss properly (although crowns themselves are not susceptible to tooth decay, infection of the surrounding tissues is always a possibility), or use of tobacco products.