Delays in Finishing Implant Treatment

Q: I was supposed to finish my implant treatment three months after they were placed, but due to the COVID 19 shutdown, my case has been delayed by almost three months. Is this an issue?

A: Normally Fridays are my day off. However, I have a new part time job: fixing everything I broke in my home during the shutdown! Lately, I am the only man inside my home that does not have a polo shirt with his name embroidered on it. I had to buy a baby sack to strap my Chihuahua to my chest so as not to eat the repairmen. (A smart-aleck appliance repairman told me my baby looked just like me. I told him: “breast feeding was a killer.”)

After we place an implant, a three month “integration” waiting period is needed for lower jaw cases and four months for upper jaw cases. This allows your own bone to fuse and envelope the threads of the implant body. Waiting beyond this time frame is perfectly fine.

It is possible that the gum tissue has grown over the top of the implant. We then numb the area and use a laser to remove a little tissue to expose the top of the implant. This allows us to take an impression in order to make your crown, bridge or denture which attaches to the implant

To make extra sure your implant is ready to start the replacement tooth process, we test it with a sound wave device called the Penguin or the Ostell. This will measure the ISQ; Implant Stability Quotient. Readings closest to 70 are a good sign that all is well in implant land.