I MUST HAVE SOME TEETH EXTRACTED AND I INTEND TO HAVE IMPLANTS PLACED TO RESTORE MY ABILITY TO CHEW. CAN A DENTAL IMPLANT BE PLACED AT THE SAME VISIT AS THE TEETH ARE EXTRACTED?
Whether or not the dental implant can be placed immediately after extraction depends on the amount of available bone in the area and presence or absence of active infection. Placing the implant at the same visit helps preserve both width and height of bone and may prevent the need for placing bone grafts when bone naturally shrinks back after teeth are extracted. During the first year after teeth have been removed, as much as 40% of jawbone width can be lost. Sometimes, infection from a tooth or periodontal disease has destroyed the bone to such an extent that it becomes necessary to do a bone grafting procedure prior to implant placement. If it is possible to place the implant at the same visit as the teeth are extracted, this can save at least three months in healing time compared to waiting for an extraction site to heal before the implants can be placed.