Emergency Implants

Unfortunately, teeth break for many reasons and often we do not plan for such occasions. If the area does not have an infection then the majority of the time an implant can be placed at the same time as the tooth is removed. This has numerous advantages: it involves only one surgery and recovery phase and since healing starts immediately it can shorten treatment time from 8-10 months to 3-4 months. Emergency implants are an easy, less time consuming way of placing dental implants.

Immediate Provisional Restorations

The truth is that no one wants to have a dental implant. The goal is to replace missing teeth and the implant assists us with providing a new foundation for a crown. When a front tooth is removed, it is imperative to have a tooth to replace the extracted tooth. Dr. Doherty uses implants that are specifically designed to be very stable at the time they are placed. This can often lead to placement of a temporary crown on the implant at the initial surgery. Not only does this provide an excellent cosmetic result, but multiple studies support the use of the provisional restoration during the healing phase to decrease bone and tissue loss that often occurs in an extraction site.

Case example:

The patient fractured his front tooth which previously had a root canal. In one appointment, the patient had the tooth removed, an emergency dental implant placed, and a provisional restoration.

Emergency dental implants, before and after

Photo Credit: www.ASIRD.org