Caring for Your Dental Implants during and after the Procedure

Having an effective solution to replace the missing teeth in your mouth is essential, but the solution must also lest you for a lifetime. You must prepare for the dental surgery required to place implants in your mouth. After the implants are placed, excellent oral hygiene is essential along with six-monthly dental visits to keep your artificial teeth looking great. Implants are capable of replacing a single tooth, or the entire set of teeth in your upper or lower jaw.

Why Are Implants Essential for Replacing Teeth?

Dental implants are beneficial to replace the roots of your teeth as well as the crowns for helping to prolong the life of the remaining natural teeth in your mouth and to maintain jawbone support. A single implant consists of two parts. One part is embedded in the jawbone, and the other is an artificial replacement tooth that is attached to the implant. If you need the implants to replace an entire row of teeth on the upper and lower jaw, false teeth are anchored to several implants in the jaw. The implant is embedded surgically into the jawbone by the Phoenix dentist, and when the bone has healed around the posts, the dental professional attaches the artificial teeth. Implants look and feel like natural teeth and allow you to have a natural smile on your face. In some cases, the implant posts and artificial teeth can be fitted during a single procedure.

How to Prepare for the Restoration?

If you desire a successful outcome from the implant procedure, here are some tips you must follow when preparing for the surgery.

• You must tell your dentist if you are taking any medications such as blood thinners and others. Your prescribing physician may alter the dosage of the drug before the surgery.
• You are given painkillers and antibiotics before the procedure to reduce discomfort and the risk of infection. However, you can ask your dentist about the medications you should take after the process.
• If you are nervous or stressed by the prospect of undergoing surgery, you must discuss the same with your dentist because he or she can offer you intravenous sedation if it is suitable for your case.

What Can You Eat During the Treatment?

As a patient, you will need a couple of days to recover from the surgery for placing the implants. You will experience discomfort and swelling during the first 24 hours, which is quite reasonable. Driving back home after the procedure is not advised, especially if you have been sedated. The following tips are recommended by dentists to care for your general health and the implants following the procedure for embedding them.

• Bite on the gauze placed in your mouth to control bleeding for at least one hour or up to 3 hours.
• Avoid moving excessively for at least 8 to 12 hours and sit with your head in an elevated position.
• Apply an ice pack to your cheeks at the site of the surgery for about 15 minutes at a time and repeat the procedure throughout the day or as needed to reduce the swelling.
• Undergoing surgery for implant placement does not mean you have to stop eating or drinking. You can undoubtedly have soft foods and beverages during the first 48 hours after the installation.
• Do not rinse your mouth for the first 24 hours. After that, you can rinse your mouth with warm saltwater after having meals.
• Take all medications prescribed by the dentist as directed.

What Can You Eat after the Treatment?

Your Gums and jawbone require as little as six weeks or nine months for the healing. Even as you experience soreness in your gums for several weeks, you can subsist on a diet of soft foods, cold foods, and warm soups. If you are already a wearer of dental restorations sitting on the gums, your dentist can advise when they are safe to use.

Long-term After Treatment Care

Caring for the implants should continue long after the dentist embeds them in your mouth. Besides brushing and flossing every day and rinsing regular visits to the dentist must also be scheduled to maintain the appearance of the implant and to reduce the chances of failure. You can use toothpaste, toothbrush, and floss to clean your teeth and the placements. During the six-monthly visits, the dentist x-rays the implants to determine if bone loss has occurred around the posts. He or she also checks the health of the gums and cleans the implants by using specialized instruments.

The final results from the implant surgery will take some time to be noticeable by you, but the inconvenience is worth the effort. You can use the dental care you regularly use to clean the placements as well. If you care for the implants properly, you can look forward to decades of healthy teeth and a natural smile.