Choosing dental implants for your smile is a big decision, but possibly one of the best investments you can make if you're facing tooth loss. With that said, you'll want to know what to expect if you're considering tooth implants for your smile, especially during recovery. Today, we'll outline the implant process step-by-step, with a special focus on what to expect after surgery and how to make your dental implant recovery smooth and comfortable.
Step #1 The Initial Evaluation: Choosing Dental Implants for Your Smile
The first step in restoring a lost tooth is to meet with your Etobicoke implant dentist to determine if dental implants are right for you. During this time, our dentists gather information about your smile with photos, x-rays, 3-D imaging, and a thorough exam. They'll assess your situation and review what's needed to restore your smile, the treatment timeline, and the cost, as it varies greatly with each patient's needs.
Step #2 The Implant Placement Surgery
Implant surgery is the next step in restoring your smile, and our dentists can perform it here at our Etobicoke dental clinic. We use leading-edge technology, such as CBCT technology, that provides 3-D imaging of your teeth and jawbone, which helps our dentists plan your procedure ahead of time with accuracy and precision to achieve the best outcomes on the day of your implant surgery.
Step #3 Osseointegration and Recovery
Once we've surgically placed your dental implant, it will need time to heal, integrate, and fuse with your bone. Titanium implants are biocompatible and naturally fuse with your bone over time during a process called osseointegration. This allows them to become part of your dental anatomy and, like your root, securely support your new tooth. The process of osseointegration can take three to six months, and our dentists will closely monitor your progress during that time.
What to Expect After Implant Surgery
Immediately After
You will be numb for the first few hours after surgery. Biting down on gauze will help manage the bleeding. A cold compress can help with the swelling. You'll need to arrange a ride home, and It's important to go home and get plenty of rest.
After the numbness wears off, you'll manage pain with prescribed or over-the-counter medication. Stick to eating soft foods at room temperature. Foods such as oatmeal, soup, smoothies, yogurt, and scrambled eggs are a good idea.
Avoid smoking cigarettes, spitting, or drinking through a straw for at least 72 hours after surgery to protect your blood clot. It is important to keep it intact for successful healing and protect against developing a condition called dry socket.
One to Three Days After
While the pain should be diminishing, you may still need medication. You should avoid exercise or vigorous activities for the next few days and continue to eat soft foods.
Carefully resume your normal brushing routine, but avoid brushing the surgical site directly.
Three to Seven Days After
You can start getting back to normal activities, including exercise, after 72 hours. You can also reintroduce solid foods and manage pain as needed.
Around two weeks after surgery, you'll return to Toronto Lakeshore Dental to follow up with our dentists so they can monitor your healing process. Most patients are healed completely from the surgical procedure around two weeks. You'll visit our dental clinic periodically over the next few months as we wait for your implant to heal and fully integrate with your jawbone.
Step #4 The Implant Restoration
When your implant is ready to support a restoration, you'll return to our Etobicoke dental clinic, where our dentists will customize your restoration. A porcelain crown tops an implant to restore a single tooth, while two to six implants can support a bridge or denture to replace multiple teeth or an entire arch.
Ceramic porcelain crowns are matched to your smile, so the new implant tooth blends flawlessly. Our dentists custom design dentures, keeping in mind what's best with your skin tone and facial structure.
What Are the Advantages of a Dental Implant in Etobicoke?
Tooth implants offer several advantages that patients appreciate.
- The feel, appearance, and function of a natural tooth
- A reliable procedure boasting a 95 percent success rate
- Excellent longevity with the potential to last a lifetime
- Simple home care because you'll brush and floss normally
- Protection for your jawbone from the deterioration that accompanies tooth loss
- An excellent long-term investment because of the great longevity
Are You Considering Tooth Implants in Etobicoke?
If you're living with missing teeth, we would love to talk with you! Our dentists have the skills and training to provide start-to-finish comprehensive implant dentistry at our dental clinic, so you can always work with the team you trust.
You arrange a convenient time for your implant evaluation by contacting our team at (416) 503-3335.