Suppose you find out that you aren’t a good candidate for an endosteal post due to insufficient jawbone or a partial or complete loss of back teeth. In that case, your dentist in Bingham Farms will likely recommend subperiosteal implants.

In today’s blog, Advanced Dentistry Center brings you an overview of this procedure and more.

What is a Subperiosteal Implant?

A subperiosteal implant is like a stand-in jawbone. Unlike an endosteal implant, which leaves nothing between the jawbone and gums, a subperiosteal implant starts with a metal frame between the eroded jawbone and gums.

The metal frame is placed beneath the periosteum, a sheath covering the bone. In other words, the subperiosteal implant is never inserted into the jawbone. Instead, it rests on top and beneath the gum tissue, rendering its shape and size irrelevant, rendering its shape and size irrelevant.

While the duration of the subperiosteal implant procedure is similar to that of its endosteal counterpart, the recovery time is much shorter.

The Subperiosteal Implant Procedure

The subperiosteal implant procedure involves the same number of visits as an endosteal implant procedure. The healing time between visits can take several months, depending on your dental and overall health and the intricacy of the procedure.

Here are the steps you’ll likely undergo at our dentistry in Bingham Farms:

  1. The procedure will begin after you have recovered from the tooth extraction.
  2. Your first appointment will involve taking a CT scan of your jawbone for the metal frame.
  3. Your second appointment will be scheduled after the frame is ready for installation.
  4. We’ll apply a topical anesthetic after discussing possible allergies.
  5. We’ll make a small incision into your gum tissue.
  6. We’ll follow this by drilling your gum tissue but not the jawbone.
  7. We’ll install and adjust the metal frame into the drilled area and adjust for size.
  8. We’ll apply sutures to the area to seal it off.
  9. You’ll return for your third appointment after your gums have healed for the implant posts.
  10. We’ll install the posts on the frame, not the jawbone, and take crown impressions.
  11. We’ll give you a temporary prosthetic to wear in the meantime.
  12. You’ll come back for your fourth and final appointment when your permanent or removable dental prosthetics are ready for installation.

A Dentist Wearing a Head Covering and Facemask Performing Oral Surgery on a Patient

Post-Procedural Dos and Don’ts for Subperiosteal Implants

We can’t guarantee a speedy recovery time because that differs from patient to patient. However, we can promise you mild or moderate pain in the treated area, which you can manage with over-the-counter or prescription drugs.

You can also speed up the recovery process by following these instructions:

  • Refrain from smoking.
  • Stop using tobacco-based products.
  • Use ice packs to bring down the swelling and bruising.
  • Take some days off work.
  • Limit high-strength physical activity.
  • Eat soft foods.
  • Don’t eat greasy, hard-to-chew, and sharp-edged foods.
  • Follow good oral hygiene.
  • Keep the incision site clean with mouthwash or warm salt water after every meal.

Visit Advanced Dentistry Center in Bingham Farms for a dental examination. If our dentists believe you don’t have enough jawbone for endosteal implants, they will likely recommend subperiosteal implants. Book your oral surgery in Bingham Farms to restore your gums and tooth after extraction.

Get in touch for questions and concerns.