Instructions for Dental Implant Care: Before and After Restoration
When you have lost your natural teeth, a lot of your mouth’s functionality is affected. You may have trouble chewing, and even speaking effectively. Having that human adult teeth don’t grow back, seeking a restorative solution in dentistry is the only shot you have at regaining your smile and the functionality of your mouth thereof.
In dental restoration, different oral appliances are fashioned to mimic natural teeth and help patients regain their smiles. Thankfully, there are permanent restorative solutions for patients without teeth.
What Are Dental Implants?
They are tooth replacement oral appliances considered as the permanent alternative to all the other appliances used to replace missing teeth. Dental implants have closely been likened to natural teeth because of the kind of experience they offer.
Oral implants are made with a special metal called titanium. The metal is chosen because of its ability to integrate well with the bone tissue of the human body. Technically, implants are made to replace the roots of teeth, and not necessarily the crown part. For the crown, however, other oral appliances are used to cover the metal posts. The dentist in Wall, NJ, can either use dental crowns, dental bridges, or dentures.
How to Get Tooth Implants
The process of installing oral implants in your mouth is different from how other appliances are installed. For one, it is a slightly invasive surgical procedure. The process involves the following steps:
- Preparation of the site – the area for which the implant is to be placed is numbed with local anesthesia to alleviate any kind of pain. During preparation, your dentist may also sedate you to ensure you remain relaxed during the treatment. Afterward, your dentist will make a small incision on your gum tissue to expose the jawbone underneath, which is the target for this procedure.
- Drilling – it involves creating a hole on your jawbone as the site of the missing tooth. The hole is precisely made to make room for the implant.
- Implantation – the metal post is situated in the drilled hole to replace the root of the tooth.
- Sewing – for healing to commence, your dentist has to sew the gum tissue back together, holding the implant securely in place.
- Crowning – although this step does not happen immediately after your procedure, it is a necessary step. It involves using a different oral appliance to cover the metal post. Usually, a dental crown is placed.
Care Instructions for Receiving an Implant
Since the procedure involves surgery, the recovery time is crucial. How you care for your readiness for the surgery, during the surgery, and afterward makes a difference in the success of the treatment.
Before the Surgery
Oral implants are not installed on everyone. Some tips to follow before your treatment are:
- Eat an hour or so before – after your surgery, your mouth will be numb and the area will feel sore afterward. Therefore, be sure to eat well an hour or so before your procedure.
- Brush your teeth – bacteria in your mouth can cause an infection in the wound.
- Get an x-ray done – your dentist will bring this up, as it is important to examine the health of your jawbone as well as gum tissue.
After the Surgery
- Watch what you eat – hard and crunchy foods are not good as your wound is healing. It may scratch the gum tissue, causing pain and bleeding. Instead, stick to soft foods until your mouth is fully recovered. You should, in fact, be consistent with soft foods and fluids immediately after your procedure.
- Change your toothbrush – choose one with soft bristles so that they do not hurt your gums at the implantation site. As you heal, you should be able to go back to regular teeth brushing with a normal toothbrush.
- Use antimicrobial mouth rinses – they will keep your mouth free from harmful bacteria that may cause an infection in the wound as it heals. Your dentist will recommend the best mouth rinse to try.
- Over-the-counter pain medication – your dentist will prescribe some medication to help deal with the swelling, soreness, and pain as your mouth heals.
- Schedule for a regular dental cleaning – these sessions will also allow your dentist to monitor the health of your gums and jawbone at the implantation site.