This is a little off topic but my daughter has possibly four permanent teeth missing and I am wondering what the process of getting implants will be like for her when she is older. Thanks!
Replied by Jeanie (Florida) on 05/18/2015
Hi Ginny,
I was a certified dental assistant for 30 years so my experience may help you.
I am not sure of your daughters age now, but with that is mind and the fact that she is missing (possibly) 4 permanent teeth and depending which teeth...you can take her to an orthodontist for a consultation to see if moving other teeth will be an option.
If they are front teeth....well thats different! An orthodontist and some dentists make a wire retainer with artificial teeth attached for people who are in the growing stage or between treatments.
For future implants most dentists will start the process at age 16. The process takes a while. She will first need a consultation with an oral surgeon or a dentist that does implants. The technology is amazing now using a three dimentional "x-ray" scan they are able to see bone density and gather many meausurements from that. Once all is a go they will place the implant into the bone also place a "healing cap" (this is the time consumer), it takes 6-8 months for the bone to fill in around a new implant so that it is stable and strong enough to support any added structure. Once healed she will then need crowns -which is much simpler than the implant procedure. The dentist takes an impression, sends it to a lab and the crown is made usually taking 2-4 weeks. Some dentists have the imaging technology as well which takes a digital "impression", makes the crown right then and she can leave with new crowns in place the same day.
I hope this helped! Jeanie
