Dental Implants: What to Expect During and After

Why Do I Need a Dental Implant?

Dental implants serve many purposes for the replacement of a tooth which has been extracted.

By choosing this method, you will improve your oral hygiene as your gums will not be as exposed to bacteria with a complete and healthy-looking smile. Implants will stop your teeth becoming misaligned or from shifting after a tooth has been extracted, as well as helping to maintain a strong jaw bone.

Once you have undergone this procedure, you will find that you have much more comfort and ease when eating.

The Process

X-rays and CBCT scan

This will help to identify any problems and assist in analyzing the best treatment method for you.

The Impression

Impressions will be taken prior to implant placement once you are ready to go ahead with the treatment. The purpose of these impressions is to guide us on where the best position is to put the implant in.

This can be a slight uncomfortable process as a large plastic plate with gooey molding material is inserted into your mouth. Pressure is applied until the molding material has set. This may be uncomfortable if you have a sensitive gag reflex or if you are likely to panic when unable to breathe through your mouth, swallowing is also difficult for a short period of time.

Day of Surgery

As with most surgeries, your dentist will advise whether you can eat (or when you can eat) or not before your dental treatment.

The surgery will take between 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the complexity of the procedure. In general, a single implant placement surgery will only require approximately 40 minutes to complete. You will be given oral sedation and/or local anesthetic to ease the pain.

It is recommended that you rest after the surgery, avoid alcohol, smoking and hard foods that will cause more pain, or increase chances of infection. You should treat your new implant like an open wound for about 1 week following the surgery.

When the surgery is finished you can expect some bleeding, swelling and discomfort; this is completely normal. In most scenario, patients does not experience any pain from the implant surgery if compared to tooth extractions. ????

After Care

For the first 3 – 5 days following your implant insertion, you should only consume soft foods.

You should refrain from rinsing your mouth out vigorously or touching the area with your tongue however, maintaining your regular oral hygiene routine is very important. The area should be brushed lightly with a soft-bristled toothbrush. In addition to this, it is recommended to rinse you mouth out with warm salty water gently after each meal.

After 5 days you will be able to reintroduce solid foods, you will notice the swelling has reduced.

Dealing with the Pain

Your dentist will prescribe you antibiotics and pain relief medications. In addition to this, you can apply warm or cold packs covered with a cloth to the side of your face. The packs should be applied for 20 minutes with breaks in between for the first few days.

When to Contact Your Dentist

On the day of the surgery bleeding is indefinite. However, should you experience excessive bleeding several hours after the surgery, you should contact your dentist immediately.

When you wake the day after the surgery you may notice bruising and swelling. This is normal and should subside in a few days. If you notice that the bruising or swelling is prolonged or excessive, contact your dentist for an examination.