The Healing Process

Once your implant is placed, the healing process begins.  The length of time varies from patient to patient, depending on the quality and quantity of bone.  Dr. Goggin will advise you on follow-up care and timing.

After the initial phase of healing, an abutment (support post) or a healing cap is placed onto the implant during a brief follow-up visit. This allows gum tissue to mature and provides access to the implant.

This enables the crown to be ready when the implants have healed. How long your mouth needs to heal is determined by a variety of factors. Follow-up care (one to four appointments) is usually needed to ensure that your mouth is healing well and to determine when you are ready for the restorative phase of your treatment.

It may be beneficial to perform a soft tissue graft to obtain stronger, more easily cleaned and natural appearing gum tissue in the area around the implant. This process involves moving a small amount of gum tissue from one part of your mouth to the area around the implant. Most often, it is a brief and relatively comfortable procedure.

Whether it is one tooth or all of your teeth that are being replaced, your dentist will complete the restoration by fitting the replacement tooth (crown) to the dental implant.