There are many reasons you may choose to have dental implants. After losing a tooth or teeth, you may feel self-conscious when talking and or smiling. Having dental implants can help to improve your appearance, self-esteem, oral comfort, and make it easier to eat and speak.

Having your dentist fit dental implants requires a surgical procedure, and like all types of surgery, it requires a recovery period afterwards. How long recovery will take depends on several factors. Finding a dentist that offers a free consultation to discuss your case is the first step you should take.

Dental Implants Procedure

Dental implants look and feel just like your natural teeth. They are designed to fuse with your bone, the same as your natural root would do. Your dentist can replace one, multiple, or all your teeth at once.

Should you need to replace multiple teeth, it may be best to opt for an All-on-4 dental implants technique. Your dentist inserts four titanium implants into your jawbone, and these are the foundation for a bridge.

All-on-4 is suitable for both your upper and lower jaw, and the titanium implants are incredibly durable and safe for the human body. The surgery is quick, and your dentist can even replace all your teeth on the same day.

Should your jawbone be weak or unable to provide adequate support for the dental implants, your dentist performs a bone graft. This surgery is completed before your dental implant procedure, and it takes about 3-6 months for the graft to fuse with your jawbone completely. In general, the more dental implants you have, and the more complicated the surgery, the longer it takes to recover.

The Recovery Period

Dental implant recovery time is short, and you can expect any symptoms to subside after around 5-7 days. However, this is based on typical results, and recovery time varies depending on the complexity of the surgery.

How to Help the Recovery Process

There are steps you can take to help shorten your recovery time after having dental implants. Dental implants take 4-6 months to fully integrate into your jaw bone, a process called osseointegration. The first step is to avoid putting unnecessary stress on the sites that have received surgery.

If you have temporary crowns brush them very gently before bed on the same day of your operation. This helps avoid infection and may help to soothe any swelling around your gums. After approximately 24 hours, use a warm water salt rinse to wash around your mouth. This also helps to fight infection, which can delay the healing process.

Use an ice pack on your cheek for 20 minutes at a time, to ease any discomfort gently and to help reduce the swelling. Visit this website.  

Your Diet

You must avoid unnecessary pressure on the dental implants until they are fully integrated with your jawbone. For the first week, your diet should consist mainly of soft foods which do not require much chewing.

Good foods to eat after oral surgery are soft fruit, fish, rice, and smoothies. You should still aim to eat a balanced diet and get all your essential nutrients, but you may have to find them in different foods than you would usually eat.

Foods to avoid at this time are tough or hard substances such as uncooked vegetables, hard fruit, and candy. Avoid acidic foods and drinks and stay away from foods that are hot or spicy. Remember that you have had a surgical operation, and the affected sites need time and rest to heal.

Final Thoughts

Dental implant recovery time is relatively short compared to many types of surgery, and you can expect the period to be as short as 5-7 days. You can help your recovery by adopting some sensible behaviours and altering your diet. Short-term changes can help to reduce any discomfort from the operation and speed up the recovery process.

For a free consultation with one of our dentists, and to receive a personalised quote, contact us today at Available Dental Care Campbelltown on (02) 4062 8763. With years of experience, our exceptional team can give you professional and impartial advice.