Convergence News Network reporters Li Yingxuan and Lu Baichang/Reporting from Taipei

Multiple reasons such as severe tooth decay and periodontal disease may cause teeth to become untreatable and require extraction. There are many methods to reconstruct missing teeth caused by extraction. Dental implants are a way to reconstruct missing teeth. When can I get a dental implant after tooth extraction? This is a question that most patients ask. Huang Shiyong, a specialist in dental implants and periodontics at the Modern Dental Digital Dental Implant Center of the Modern Dental Medical System, said that since the condition of each patient's missing tooth area is different, the timing of dental implants may be different after careful evaluation. The timing of when dental implants can be placed after tooth extraction can be divided into the following three time points.

Huang Shiyong explained that the first time point is to immediately implant the tooth. When the tooth is extracted, the artificial tooth root is immediately placed in the cavity, which is called extraction and implantation. It is often used in single-rooted teeth that have been extracted due to tooth decay or fracture. Usually, if there is no serious infection around the tooth extraction cavity and there is enough alveolar bone to maintain the stability of the initial dental implant, immediate dental implant surgery can be performed. The advantage is that the treatment time can be shortened, and dentures can be made in about 3 months. In some cases, dentures can be put on immediately, reducing pain, and tooth extraction and dental implant surgery can be completed under the same anesthesia.

The next step is to perform surgery 2 to 3 months after tooth extraction. It is often used for teeth with multiple roots and is called early dental implantation. During the waiting period, the infection caused by periodontal disease or apex cyst in the extraction area will gradually disappear, and the soft tissue of the gums and the bone in the cavity will heal, making the missing tooth area more suitable for dental implant surgery. Although the patient needs to undergo two surgeries, the failure rate of dental implants can be reduced.

The third time point is to perform dental implant surgery 3 to 4 months or even more than half a year after tooth extraction, which is called delayed dental implantation. Severe bone loss due to periodontal disease or other infections requires a longer wait for the bone in the tooth extraction cavity to heal. It may even require alveolar bone preservation or guided bone regeneration surgery. After the foundation of the missing tooth area is rebuilt to the ideal volume and structure, a recovery period of 6 to 8 months is required before artificial implants are placed.

Huang Shiyong added that no matter when dental implant surgery is performed, it needs to be carefully evaluated based on each patient's oral condition, tooth extraction cavity, and missing tooth foundation. There is no right time, only the right time is best.

【Photo source: Modern Dental Clinic】