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All About Teeth-in-an-Hour

From start to finish, the traditional dental implant process can take anywhere from six to twelve months. The amount of time involved with the entire process prevents many people from getting dental implants when they really need them. That is why many oral surgeons are now starting to offer a dental service known as teeth-in-an-hour.

Learn more about this new dental service and see if it might be able to help you.

Understanding the Traditional Dental Implant Process

Before teeth-in-an-hour dental service was created, the only option people had to get dental implants was to go with traditional placement. Placing dental implants using the traditional technique is a lengthy, painful process that can take months or in some cases over a year.

The traditional dental implant procedure involves the following:

  • Dental implant consultation – an appointment where your oral surgeon will assess if you are a good candidate for dental implants
  • Bone graft or sinus augmentation – not every person will need a bone graft or augmentation
  • Tooth extraction – if you still have teeth where you want the dental implants you may need to have them surgically extracted in order to prepare the mouth for the implants
  • Placement of dental implant – several months after the bone graft/augmentation the dental implant post is placed
  • Waiting for the bone to grow around the dental implant post
  • Placement an abutment – an abutment is a small attachment that is used to hold a crown in place
  • Placement of the final artificial teeth onto the implant posts

While the actual procedures themselves are not time-consuming, it is the time needed to heal and wait as the bone hardens that makes the entire process take so much time.

Taking a Closer Look at Teeth-in-an-Hour

Teeth-in-an-hour, which is sometimes called teeth-in-a-day, is a dental procedure that allows people to get dental implants without having to go through such a lengthy process. The implant process is able to be sped up with the use of cutting edge technology.

Some of the steps involved with teeth-in-an-hour is the same as traditional dental implants, but other steps are either combined or eliminated. The process involved with teeth-in-an-hour is as follows:

  • Dental consultation – similar to traditional dental implants your oral surgeon will discuss the procedure, conduct a brief exam and determine if you are a good candidate for teeth-in-an-hour
  • Taking of a CAT scan that will be used to create 3D models of your mouth/jaw. The model is then used to determine where the dental implants will be placed.
  • Possible bone graft/sinus augmentation – if it is decided that you need one, you will need to have it performed before the implants are placed and it can add some time to the procedure
  • Removal of teeth – this is usually done at the same time as the bone graft/augmentation
  • Waiting for the healing of the tooth extraction/bone graft/augmentation
  • Placement of the dental implant and the entire artificial tooth – using the information from the CAT scans oral surgeons can know exactly where to place the dental implants so the process is quicker. There is also the elimination of the extra steps of adding the abutment and then placing the artificial teeth

Benefits of Teeth-in-an-Hour

Teeth-in-an-hour is becoming an extremely popular dental procedure that people are using to replace missing or severely damaged teeth. The reasons why this procedure is so popular are:

  • Less healing time – patients heal faster and don’t have to go through a lengthy recovery process
  • Higher chance of success – using new technology oral surgeons know exactly where to place the dental implants so they have a higher chance of being successful
  • Less pain and swelling
  • Less time in the dental chair
  • Missing teeth can be replaced quicker

Want to see if you are a good candidate for teeth-in-an-hour? Call Sedaros Oral Facial Surgery and Dental Implants to schedule a consultation with our oral surgeon. Our oral surgeon will discuss the procedure with you and see if you are a good candidate. If you aren’t a good candidate for teeth-in-an-hour, our oral surgeon can provide treatment recommendations that may be a good fit for you.