Despite advancements in dental medicine, millions of people in the United States lose their teeth because of periodontal disease or tooth decay. For many years, dentures and bridges were the only options for replacing missing teeth. But now you have a better option to replace a missing tooth - dental implants.
Dental implant surgery may be a great alternative to bridgework or ill-fitting dentures. They're also an option if your dentist can't produce bridgework or denture due to a lack of natural dental roots.
If you’re thinking about getting dental implants, you probably have a lot of questions. Below are 5 important questions about dental implants that you might be interested in.
1. What is a dental implant?
A dental implant is not a tooth itself. A dental implant is a prosthetic tooth that is used to replace one or more missing teeth. A single crown, fixed bridge, partial denture, or full mouth dental implants can all be attached to a tiny titanium post that is placed into the jawbone. Following the implant's integration with your bone, an abutment and prosthetic tooth are attached to the implant.
An "implant tooth" is made up of three parts:
- the dental implant
- the abutment
- the prosthetic tooth
2. How is the dental implant procedure performed?
Dental implants can be placed in different ways, the only difference is the timing. The two-stage implantation is the most common. In the beginning, the doctor installs an implant, followed by a ceramic crown after 3-4 months. This method is the best for patients with a weakened immune system, symptoms of osteoporosis in the jaw bone, or chronic inflammatory conditions.
With one-stage implantation, you may have a stunning smile right away. The main disadvantage is that you will have to live with a temporary crown until the implant and bone tissue bond, which takes 4-6 months.
3. What are dental implant contraindications?
Just like any surgery, a dental implant procedure has several contraindications. Bleeding disorders, cancer, immune system disorders, insulin-dependent diabetes, sexually transmitted illnesses, and osteoporosis are all included.
Before the treatment, you must clean your teeth and gums, quit smoking and drinking alcohol for two weeks, and refrain from taking aspirin and other blood-thinning medications for a week. Due to the risky effects of anesthetic on the fetus, it is best to wait until the baby is born if a woman is pregnant.
4. How painful is getting a dental implant?
While painful sensations from a dental implant procedure differ from person to person, most patients say that getting their dental implant was far less painful than they suspected. The dentist will provide anesthesia to you during the surgery, so you should only have little discomfort.
Because doctors use gentle techniques and operate in a clean setting, there'll be little chance of infection. You should have minimal discomfort if you follow the dentist's post-operative instructions and take the antibiotics given. Pain medications will almost certainly be prescribed by your dentist, but many people don't use them.
5. What does the recovery process look like?
To speed up the healing process, it's crucial to reduce the stress on the implant during the first three days. About 3 hours after the procedure, you can eat everything except for hot and cold meals, hot coffee, and black tea. Warm mashed soups, soft cottage cheese, yogurts, herbal teas, and water are preferable. Alcohol consumption is restricted during the whole healing period since it might be fatal when combined with antibiotics.
After 3-5 days, when the irritation and swelling have subsided, you can use a soft toothbrush. Until then, simply rinse your mouth with saline solution. It's also worth skipping physical activity and going to hot baths, saunas, and pools for the first month following implantation.
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