When Do You Need Dental Implants | Best Time To Get a Tooth Implant

If you need tooth repair in Philadelphia because of broken enamel, deep cavities, or a missing tooth, it’s essential to address it immediately. Dental implants in Philadelphia, Pa can restore your smile and improve your overall oral health. While the benefits of getting a dental implant are obvious, how long should you wait before getting one?

Why Dental Implants Are Important to Oral Health

Dental implants offer multiple benefits to our Philadelphia patients needing tooth repair. They are permanent solutions to tooth damage and loss. They return the full function of your mouth to you, not just for your smile but for how you eat and speak. They also help preserve your jawbone and prevent bone loss. Knowing these benefits, you may think that getting your implants right away is the solution; however that may not always be the case.

To Wait or Not to Wait for Dental Implants

While it is important to replace your extracted or missed tooth as soon as possible, planning your implant relies on the condition of your tooth, gum, and jawbone. When we plan your treatment, we will look at your scans and x-rays and your current gum and tooth health. This will help us determine the kind of dental implant that is best for you and how soon we can place your implant.

Immediate Implants

When possible, an immediate implant is ideal. However, the surrounding gum must be healthy enough to protect the new implant. Depending on the extent of damage to the original tooth and the condition of your jaw and gums, we may need to give your mouth time to heal before the implant.

Implants After a Few Weeks

In some situations, we may suggest waiting a few weeks to a couple of months before placing the dental implant. Usually, we offer this when the jawbone is strong, but your gums need time to heal from the extraction and the tooth’s condition before extraction.

Implants After a Few Months

Sometimes, we may recommend waiting two to four months for a dental implant. Typically, in situations like this, we look at more than tooth repair; your jawbone also needs to heal. Bone damage takes time, and in these situations, we may extend the wait up to six months, depending on the condition of your jawbone. We want to ensure your jaw can support your implant, after all.

Waiting for Your Implant

We want to ensure that you have a healthy smile and good oral health. At Absolute Smile, we are dedicated to helping you achieve that and more. If you have to wait an extended time for your dental implant, we can ensure that you have a temporary solution to your tooth loss. We also recommend,

Brushing and flossing your teeth regularly
Keeping up with your scheduled dental cleaning
Notifying us right away if you have intense pain or excessive bleeding, or swelling around the extraction site