Experienced Dental Implants in Chicago, IL

The first step to any new dental procedure requires an initial meeting and conversation with the patient. At your first dental implant appointment, Dr. Mehta will get an in-depth understanding of why you want/need dental implants, how many dental implants you need, and anything else specific to your wants and needs for the dental implant procedure. Additionally, she’ll examine your current mouth structure, bone strength, and anything specific to your patient history that affects the dental implant procedure as a whole.

Receiving dental implants doesn’t have to be a nerve-wracking or worrisome experience. It’s completely understandable why you may have nerves though, which is why Chicago Loop Dentistry is here to help you out. We’ll strive to make you as comfortable and well-informed about the procedure as possible so you know what’s going on every step of the way.

At the end of your general consultation, Dr. Mehta will give you a rough timeline of the events that happen next. Additionally, her or someone from her talented team of dental associates will help schedule you a follow-up appointment to go over your personalized dental implant procedure and treatment plan.

After your general consultation, Dr. Mehta will craft a specialized and fully customized dental implant plan for you. She’ll use her best judgment and select dental implant materials that work best for your lifestyle and preferences learned about in your consultation with her. Dr. Mehta and the rest of her team that will work with you throughout the process will also create an approximate timeline of events, treatment procedures, dietary plans, and anything else to help make the dental implant process as smooth as possible.

Dental implants require a specific plan for each individual. It’s important that you get a plan that’s tailored to your specific health needs and personal preferences, which is why Dr. Mehta and the rest of the caring dental staff at Chicago Loop Dentistry work hard to get everything done right the first time around. Once your personal implant plan is created, you’ll have another appointment with Dr. Mehta. Here, she’ll give you details about everything you need to know about the entire dental implant process. You’ll receive your personalized plan, general knowledge about the procedures themselves, and learn about what next steps are.

In some cases, patients need other procedures before receiving dental implants to ensure their mouths are primed and ready for the procedure. There are a variety of reasons why your mouth might not be ready to go right out of the gate, and that’s perfectly okay. Here’s a list of the possible procedures some patients need and what they do to help.

• Tooth Extraction – Not all people who get dental implants have missing teeth. Some need their teeth removed! Dr. Mehta will discuss with you how many teeth you need removed and when they’ll be removed before your first surgical procedure takes place. In some cases, you may even get your teeth extracted the day of your first procedure. Regardless, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Mehta or any other dental associate at Chicago Loop Dentistry. We’re here to help you out!
• Bone Augmentation – Did you know that you may not have enough healthy bone in your jaw to properly support dental implants? While this certainly isn’t the case for everyone, it is for some people. This is another reason why an in-depth consultation is so important; X-rays and other scans show the current health of your jaw and bone structure to determine if its current state is ready to go.If your jaw doesn’t have enough healthy bone to support the implants, you’ll need what’s called a bone augmentation. A bone augmentation is a procedure that adds bone mass to your jaw in areas that are lacking. You may get the extra material from portions of your own bones, other people, animals, or from synthetic options. Once the bone material is put into place, the body’s natural healing process takes over and adopts that tissue as its own.
• Ridge Expansion – Another jaw structure problem people run into is having jaws that are too narrow to support implants. If Dr. Mehta determines that your jaw isn’t wide enough, you’ll need what’s called a ridge expansion. Ridge expansions involve getting bone graft material placed into the top of your jaw to expand it and make it wide enough to properly support dental implants.
• Sinus Lift – Your sinuses are really close to your upper, back jaw. Some patients’ jawbones don’t have enough volume to them, making them closer to their sinuses than others. This may be a concern when getting dental implants. If your jaw is too close to your sinuses, you may not be able to properly support the dental implants. In this case, you’ll need a sinus lift.A sinus lift involves raising your sinuses and your sinus floor with the addition of bone graft material. When the bone graft material is fully accepted by your mouth and heals, you’ll be good to go and prepared for your dental implants.

After Dr. Mehta ensures your mouth and jawbone can properly accommodate your dental implants, it’s time for the first official implant procedure. With this procedure, the implants are placed in your mouth. If you have endosteal implants, they’ll be secured in holes that are made in your jawbone. If you have subperiosteal implants, they’ll be placed on top of your jawbone.

When the implants are properly secured, it’s time to let them heal and integrate with the rest of your bone structure. This process is called osseointegration, and is a fancy way of describing how your jawbone grows into the implant and acts as one unit once the healing and growing is complete. How long this process takes depends on multiple things, like how many implants you’re getting and how long it takes your body to heal.

While you may be uncomfortable for a few days after, most patients are able to return to their normal, daily activities within a day or two.

After your implants are fully healed and integrated with the rest of your jawbone, the abutment (post) part of the implants is installed. During this step. Dr. Mehta creates a slight opening in your gums to properly connect the post to the implant itself. This step is far less invasive than the first procedure, and usually only requires local anesthesia to complete.
Once all the posts are attached to the implants, it’s time to let them heal. During this time, you may receive a temporary crown or set of dentures so you can still eat and talk properly.

Fresh impressions are taken after the posts are installed on the implants. This allows Dr. Mehta to create customized teeth that match your facial structure and desired tooth color. Before installing the final replacement teeth, Dr. Mehta will show you the implants and the teeth she creates to ensure they look how you want them to look.

The final step is to place your newly-created crowns on the abutment posts! After all your teeth are placed into their positions and you approve of them, you’ll be on your way and good to go.

That’s it! You’re all finished with procedures. It’s important to note that you must follow all post-op procedures, special diets (like having to eat soft foods), and anything else while you wait for any remaining swelling or bruising to go down. This ensures your new smile is perfect and just the way you want it.

If you have any questions at any point in the process, feel free to give Dr. Mehta a call. You may have a follow-up appointment months down the road to assess the overall status of your jawbone and new teeth.