Dental implants can restore your smile and bite so no one can tell the difference. But it’s important to know that they take a long time to complete. Dental implants require two to four surgical procedures: One to remove the tooth, one to implant the titanium post into the jawbone, and up to two more minor procedures to get the final tooth placed. People choose dental implants when they want to restore their smile and their bite when a tooth is broken or removed for another reason. For those people, dental implants are worth the time it takes because the result is a perfect smile!
Stages and Steps of Dental Implantation
There are several stages to getting dental implants, and there may be months between the early steps in the process. Removing a tooth, grafting bone, and implanting a post into the jaw are significant interventions that require quite a bit of healing time.
- Remove any remaining tooth parts in the area and perform a bone graft if needed.
- Wait several months for healing.
- Place the dental implant.
- Wait several months for bone growth around the implant.
- Place an abutment onto the implanted post.
- Heal two weeks.
- Add the artificial tooth/crown onto the abutment.
What to Expect After Implantation
With dental implants, swelling, bruising, pain, and bleeding are all possible immediately following the extraction and surgeries. Your oral surgeon will provide prescriptions and icing guidance to help manage pain and swelling for the first few days after significant surgical procedures. The other procedures will likely only require over-the-counter pain medications. In addition, you will need to eat soft foods for a time to allow for healing.
Sensitivity Following Extraction and Implant Surgery
When it comes to healing soft tissue and bone, everyone is different. With tooth extraction and implants, it may take months to return to chewing normally with the implanted tooth replacement. Age and health and lifestyle factors, such as smoking, affect healing time.
Tooth extraction may affect other teeth and cause sensitivity for quite some time, even months. The average time for healing from an extraction ranges from two months to more than a year. Adjacent tooth sensitivity may continue for months beyond the extraction.
Initial healing following the implantation of the metal part should take about a week. However, bone can take a long time to heal and unite with the implant post. Keep in mind that broken bones usually require six to eight weeks to get the cast off. Similarly, with tooth extraction and dental implants, healing is gradual. Minor sensitivity is common for at least a couple of months, and possibly longer depending on your age and bone health.
When you have questions about restoring your smile or bite, the team at Uptown Dental in Marion has answers and options. Contact us today to learn more.