Implant Crown

How Does Dental Crown Placement on Implants Work?

After the dentist has placed the implant below your gums and secured the abutment to the implant, you are ready for the final phase of your implant procedure. A dental crown or false tooth is attached the dental implant with the abutment to complete your tooth replacement. The dentist will use an impression of the abutment to create the perfect fitting crown to ensure your new smile meets the treatment plan you discussed.

The dental crown placement

Once the dentist surgically placed the dental implant below your gumline, the implant will bond with your jaw bone. The implant will be as strong and secure as your natural tooth roots. When the implant has started to heal and fuse with your bone, the dentist will place an abutment just below the gumline to provide an area to attach the dental crown. Depending on the type of abutment, one piece, two piece, or three piece, the dentist will secure the abutment to the implant and then set a temporary crown in place on the abutment. For some people, the dentist will not need to wait for the implant to heal so the abutment and temporary crown are placed in your mouth immediately.

The temporary crown is meant to be in place for four to six weeks allowing your gums to heal. It is not meant to be as strong as the permanent crown and it is designed to help protect your dental implant while eating. The temporary crown also provides the implant more time to bond to your jaw bone, allowing the jaw bone to heal.

While your gums and jaw bone recover from the implant procedure, the dental lab will be producing your permanent crown. It usually takes about two to three weeks on average for the lab technician to create a perfect looking replacement tooth. The dentist will take an impression of your surrounding teeth, bite and abutment to ensure the crown fits properly and looks like your other natural teeth. With the impression, notes from the dentist, and the proper material, the lab technician will ensure that your crown is the right shape, size, and color for your mouth.

Choosing the new prosthetic crown

Just like the other stages of dental implants, the dentist can offer a removable, fixed or hybrid crown to replace your missing tooth.

A removable prosthetic crown is just like a removable denture; the crown has plastic at the base to look like gums. The removeable crown is attached the abutment with a metal platform under the plastic to stay in place securely.
A fixed prosthetic crown is permanently secured in place with bonding or a screw. You can’t remove the crown and these are the most common type of crowns used on dental implants. In this case, a single implant can support more than one connected teeth.

Placing the crown

After the dentist reviews the permanent crown created by the dental lab, the dentist will need to ensure that the prosthetic fits your mouth properly. Once the crown has passed all the inspections, it can be cemented in place on the abutment. The dentist can use a local anesthesia to ensure you are comfortable as the crown is set in place.

More on Implants : Dental Implant Abutment Definition