After Implant Placement

Dental implants are an incredibly popular treatment used to replace missing teeth that provide several significant benefits over traditional bridges and dentures. This revolutionary treatment can be used to replace a single missing tooth, or it can be used to replace multiple teeth. At Optimum Oral Surgery Group, we provide dental implants to meet many different needs. In addition to providing you with information on what to expect during the procedure, we will also provide you with information on what to expect after implant placement.

Placement of Your Temporary Teeth

Immediately after the placement of your implant posts, your gums are sutured closed around them. Temporary teeth are placed on the posts. They help you to eat and speak more normally while you heal from surgery. Temporary teeth can be fixed, or they can be removable.

Recovery Following Surgery

Recovery following implant surgery varies from patient to patient. Generally speaking, it takes anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to heal. During this time, your bone gradually fuses to the implant posts in a process called osseointegration. This process stabilizes the posts in your jaw and turns them into replacement tooth roots.

Before you go home, you are provided with a set of post-surgical instructions. These instructions are designed to help ensure that you heal properly. Pain and swelling a common after surgery. Pain can be managed with over the counter or prescription pain relievers. During the first 24 hours after surgery, ice can help to limit the amount of swelling you experience. After the first 48 hours, moist heat can then be used to help bring swelling down faster. Limiting activities, particularly in the early stages of healing, is important. It is also important that you maintain a diet of soft foods. As you begin to heal, you can slowly begin to resume your normal activities and diet.

Placing Your Final Restorations

After you have fully healed from implant surgery, we then begin the process for placing your final restorations. This process generally takes two additional visits. During the first visit, your dentist will remove your temporary teeth and place the abutments on the posts. They then take impressions of your mouth, which are used to design and create your custom teeth. When the teeth are ready, they are secured into place on the posts.

Taking Care of Your Dental Implants

The great thing about dental implants is that they can be taken care of just like your real teeth. They can, and should, be brushed and flossed every day. Even though your replacement teeth cannot decay, they can still collect plaque and bacteria that can contribute to gum disease. In addition to daily care, it is still important to have your teeth professionally cleaned and examined at least twice a year, even if all of your teeth have been replaced.

How Long Do Implants Last?

Unlike bridges or dentures, dental implants are made to be a long-term, even permanent, solution to tooth loss. Taking care of your implants will help to ensure their longevity. Even if the crowns wear or break and need to be replaced, the posts may not need to be replaced. A new set of teeth can simply be fabricated to sit on the posts already in place.

Dental implants provide you with an incredible solution for replacing missing teeth. For more information on dental implants, and to find out if they are the right solution for you, call Optimum Oral Surgery Group at (856) 437-4432 to schedule your consultation today.