Dental Implants: Pros and Cons

Dental Implant Surgery: What You Should Expect

by Brett Clark

Getting dental implants to replace natural teeth is a crucial step towards regaining full function of your mouth. But what does the whole procedure entail? Will it be painful? Does the surgery take long or can you get back to your daily routine immediately? What do you eat after? There are several questions those considering dental implant surgery may have. Here are the things you can expect when dental implant surgery takes place.

X-Rays Comes First

When you decide to get dental implants, the dentist will start by getting x-rays to know the exact condition of your teeth. These scans will guide the dentist when it comes to removing your teeth as they will refer to them to confirm if they have removed all the necessary natural teeth.

Your Jaw Bone Will Need to Be Assessed

Before dental surgery can take place, the dentist will need to gauge whether your jaw bone is thick and hard enough to withstand the process. Determining this is essential since you put a lot of pressure on your jaw bone when you chew and if it isn't firm enough the dental implant will fail. If it isn't as thick and hard as desired, you will require jaw bone grafting. The dentist will either transplant it from another part of your body or use artificial bone.

Tooth Extraction Will Follow

Once your jaw bone is ready for the process, the dentist will extract the problematic teeth. Lidocaine will be locally administered to manage the pain during extraction. The dentist will use the x-rays taken earlier to guide them through this step and ensure they remove all of them. If there's a wait time before the surgical procedure, you will have to abstain from smoking, avoid blowing your nose and have to drink using a straw. All this is necessary not to develop a dry socket.

The Implant Process Takes Place

After bone grafting, to get the jawbone to fuse with the graft, and successful tooth extraction the dentist will proceed with placing the implant. The dentist will first drill a hole in your jaw bone, make incisions in your gums to expose the bone and then put the implant deep in your jawbone. It is an outpatient procedure, and you will be able to continue your daily activities the day after. A change of diet to soft foods will be necessary post-surgery.

Conclusion

Dental implant surgery is a relatively straightforward process. You don't have to disrupt your schedule once you undergo it.

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