What patients should know about dental implant recovery

Dental implants are Surrey dentists’ best, long-term solution for missing teeth. With this procedure, a titanium post is implanted through the gums into the jawbone, where it fuses in a process called osseointegration. Various dental structures can then be attached to this post, including crowns, dentures and bridges. The posts themselves last for decades, even a lifetime. The attachments usually have to be replaced more often as they wear down, just like traditionally placed crowns and dentures.

Since this treatment involves waiting for bone to fuse to the titanium post, the recovery time is longer than for other procedures. It’s crucially important to follow all care instructions given by your dentist to ensure proper healing. To give you an idea of what to expect during dental implant recovery, here’s a basic timeline.

Dental implant recovery basics

• First week: some pain & swelling. Take meds and use ice
• Following weeks: swelling subsides, return to normal activities
• First few months: gums are healed, bone is growing & fusing 
• Next few months: fusing is complete and abutment phase begins
• Next month, tooth restoration 

First few weeks 

Just like when you have other surgical procedures in the mouth (like a tooth extraction), patients must avoid brushing, flossing or touching the surgical site. Get some rest, and take antibiotics and pain medication as prescribed.

Diet during this time consists of soft foods. Avoid anything hot, spicy or crunchy. Also avoid using straws, sucking and spitting. It's important to be especially gentle in these first few weeks.

First few months

After the gums heal, the post continues osseointegration underneath. Your dentist checks periodically on its progress to ensure everything is going smoothly. By this time you can eat as you regularly do with the exception of hard food. Hard food still has a chance to interfere with the fusing process.

Fusing generally takes 3-to-6 months with the variation depending on your own healing process and the specifics of your particular implant plan. After the post is determined to be stable the next phase begins: abutment.

Abutment

An abutment acts as a connector between the implant and the crown or denture. During this phase, the dentist performs a minor surgical procedure to expose the implant and connect the abutment. Healing takes 2-4 weeks, after which tooth restoration can finally begin.

Dental implant treatments have a 90-95% success rate. So if you’re interested in a more long-term solution for your missing teeth and want to know more about dental implants, Surrey dentists can fill you in on all the details.

At Riverside Heights Dental in Surrey, we believe dental implants are the best option available for a missing tooth. Contact us today to see if you’re a good candidate for dental implants. 604-584-2535