Immediate loading dental implant technique
This is becoming an increasingly popular choice of implant procedure for many patients. The main reason for this is that replacement teeth (crowns, bridges, dentures) are fitted in the same procedure / day as compared to the delayed loading implant (two stage process, separated by a period of 3-6 months).
It means that you can have your implants and replacement teeth in the one session, which is quicker and convenient. In other words, you have implants and crowns fitted immediately – hence the use of the medical term ‘immediate loading’.
What it also means is that you don’t have to wait for the fusion of bone and implants – known as ‘osseointegration’ to take place. This often takes up to 6 months but this isn’t a factor with immediate loading. Healing (and fusion) takes place once everything is in place.
Advantages of immediate loading
The most obvious one is convenience: this procedure can be done in the same day, which is why it is often known as ‘teeth today, teeth in a day, same day teeth or the same day smile’. Other advantages include:
- A faster, quicker procedure
- No need to wait for osseointegration
- Don’t need to wear a temporary bridge or dentures whilst waiting for the implants to heal.
- Can replace a failing tooth with an implant at the same time
And the downsides?
The main disadvantage with immediate loading is an increased risk of implant failure due to incomplete osseointegration.
Basically, there is more risk of rejection or failure with this procedure but our dentist will always advise the procedure that is suitable for your individual circumstances.
The immediate loading procedure
The procedure itself involves the same preparation as the All-on-4 and delayed loading treatment. The implant plus abutment (connector) is inserted followed by the fitting of the replacement teeth.
