Dental implants are the best tooth replacement option. They offer many benefits that make them an increasingly popular choice to replace lost or failing teeth.
However, some people are uncertain about getting dental implants because they worry about how they will feel after surgery. Here’s what you can expect after dental implant surgery.
The Day of the Procedure
You will have someone you trust drive you home from your implant dentist’s office. Your driver should stay with you until you fully recover from anesthesia and sedation or another trusted person takes over. Risks of complications are low, but it’s good to have someone there just in case.
You might want to just sleep after your procedure, and that’s fine. You should not go back to work.
However, you should try to eat. Cool, soft foods are typically recommended at this point.
Your implant dentist will tell you the details of how the procedure went, as it doesn’t always go according to plan. After the procedure, you will either have an implant concealed by your gums, a cap to hold a place for restorations like a dental crown, or a fully restored implant or implants. With a procedure like All-on-4, you are likely to have a full bridge on your four new implants. If you have a crown or bridge on your implant, it will be a provisional restoration that will need to be replaced later, but should allow you to smile and chew with confidence in a few days.
When you are awake, apply an ice pack to your cheeks near the implant site, following a cycle of 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. This will help control swelling and bruising. Some bleeding is normal at this point.
Your implant dentist might have prescribed you medications, such as an antibiotic or pain medication. Take these according to schedule, even if you aren’t feeling discomfort.
Speaking of discomfort, it could be mild to moderate at this point.
The Day After the Procedure
Many people return to work the day after the dental implant procedure. However, it’s recommended that you take a full day off to recover.
Continue to apply ice to your cheeks near the surgical sites. Bruises might begin to appear. Bleeding should taper off in the next few days, along with discomfort. The amount of bleeding and discomfort you experience depends on the details of your procedure: how many implants you received, the type of implants used, whether you had teeth extracted at the same time, and the type of restoration placed.
Oral hygiene will be limited at first. You want to keep cleaning your teeth, but avoid stressing the implant sites.
If bleeding and pain increase over the next few days instead of decreasing, you should contact your implant dentist.
If you don’t have restorations on top of your dental implant, you should have a solution that lets you go out and smile without having a visible gap in your smile.
One Week After the Procedure
Within a week after the procedure, you should have returned to a largely normal diet, though possibly with a few restrictions. You’re encouraged to eat foods that will foster dental bone healing, with good vitamins and nutrients to encourage recovery.
You should also have returned largely to a normal hygiene routine as well. You’ll start learning how to clean around your implants, which is a little different from your natural teeth, but still follows the basic requirements of brushing and flossing.
Discomfort should be minimal and bleeding should be stopped. If pain or bleeding is significant or increasing at this point, contact your implant dentist.
Two Weeks After the Procedure
By this point, pain and bleeding should be resolved. You should be on a normal diet. You should feel largely normal. Under your gums, the important process of osseointegration–where your bone binds to the implant–should be well underway.
Three Months After the Procedure
By three months, your dental implants should be secure enough to support your permanent dental crowns or dental bridge. It’s time to start your final restorations.
If you had healing caps or temporary restorations, these will be removed. We will take impressions of your implant sites so the dental lab can construct your final restoration.
If your implants were concealed under your gums, a short surgery will expose them for the placement of healing caps. Once your gums are healed, which takes a few weeks, we will take impressions for the design of your final restoration.
After a week or two, your final restorations will be ready. It should fit perfectly on your dental implant or implants, forming replacement teeth that look and function just like natural teeth.
Caring for Your Implants
Once you have your final restorations, it’s important to care for your dental implants as if they were natural teeth. Brush twice a day and floss every day. Carefully monitor your implants for signs of infection, such as redness or tenderness of the gums. Your implants should be stable in your jaw. If you notice them move, let your implant dentist know.
Get Started with Dental Implants in Miami Beach
If you are missing one or more teeth in Miami Beach, dental implants can restore your beautiful, healthy, functional smile. To start designing your dental implant procedure, please call (305) 535-2225 or use our online contact form to request an appointment with an implant dentist at SoBe Dentist in Miami Beach.
