Planning On Dental Implants? What You Should Expect

If you want to restore missing or damaged teeth, you may want to consider dental implants. Dental implants are strong, permanent posts and crowns that will allow you to have a nice smile and also provides strong teeth that allow you to eat certain foods. Dental implants are placed through a surgical procedure. Before you make a decision, you need to know what to expect from the dental surgery process:

Someone Should Be With You During Surgery

Because you have to be partially sedated for your surgery, you must have someone with you to take care of you and drive you home. You may also have to take some medication that will make you drowsy during your surgery.

The Surgery Is Not Painful

You may have some apprehension about getting dental implants because you anticipate the process being painful. Thankfully, the surgery and recovery are not painful. You may experience some soreness immediately after the procedure, but it is easily controlled with pain medication. After a few days, you will notice the discomfort decrease.

You May Bleed Right After Your Surgery

Right after you have your dental implants placed, you should expect some light bleeding for the first few days. Your oral surgeon will put a gauze pad where the implants are to help keep the bleeding down.

What You Can Eat After Surgery

You should be able to eat soft foods after surgery. Soup, smoothies, yogurt, and pudding are a few examples of things you can eat right after you have dental implant surgery. You should not eat anything hard for the first week or so. Your oral surgeon can give you a timeline as to what you can eat when.

You Should Take It Easy

Right after your surgery, plan to rest for a few days. This resting period will help expedite your healing process and help you avoid discomfort. Be sure to stick to a proper soft diet and avoid any heavy-duty activities. You may even want to take a few days off work. After a week or so, you should be able to return to a more normal routine.

Call Your Doctor If Something Seems Abnormal

If you think your recovery is not going well or you are having excessive bleeding or pain, you need to contact your doctor right away. You could have a dry socket or an infection. Although rare, dental implants can sometimes have complications that need medical attention. Contact a dentist for more information regarding dental implant services.