As many of you already know, placing a dental implant involves fitting it into a precison drilled hole in the jawbone. This is a very simplified explanation of course and we will discuss in more detail in a future blog. Once the implant has been placed, it needs to be allowed to fuse together with the bone, a process that takes approximately three months, sometimes slightly longer.
The immediate and intermediate period after placement is incredibly important to ensure that the implant remains healthy and enables the osseointegration (fusing) process to take place without any problems.
In today’s blog, we take a look at what our Witham dental implant patients need to do to help keep their new implant healthy.
The first thing that you should do following the treatment is to rest. If possible, take time off work for a couple of days and especially if you do physical manual work as too much jarring could cause problems for the implant. Given the invasive nature of the procedure, it is a good idea generally to allow yourself a little ‘time off’. You may feel some temporary soreness in the area so why not treat yourself to a few days of down time to assist initial recovery?
Resting aside, it is important that you follow the advice of your dentist in Witham with regards to cleaning the implant. You won’t be able to brush it for a while and you should avoid any pressure being placed upon it. That includes touching it with your finger or prodding with your tongue for those who are inclined to do so. It takes time for the bone to start to bond with the implant and allowing it to do so unhindered is very important.
What you eat is really important in the post procedural phase too. Initially, you may only be able to consume liquid foods. This includes the likes of milk, thin soups and liquidised food. This might seem restrictive but is for a relatively short period. Planning ahead and purchasing interesting foods should make this temporary period more palatable. Shortly afterwards, you will be able to start adding soft foods such as mashed potato to your diet. You should not rush though and we advise that you err on the side of caution when solid foods are introduced to your diet.
Even when your implant is fully integrated and you can eat whatever you want, we recommend that you start cautiously as you will be unused to having a tooth in this area. Be kind to your new implant and it will pay you back with a long and effective life.
We know that some patients of Blake Dental like to keep themselves fit. You should bear in mind that any ‘jarring’ of the body can affect a newly placed tooth implant and it is important to avoid any exercise that might cause this. Jogging or running, for instance, should be avoided as should many gym exercises. For this period, we recommend that you follow a gentle exercise regime with swimming and cycling (on a smooth surface) being practical suggestions.
In the period following your implant placement, you will be recalled to our Witham practice so that your new implant can be monitored. It is important that these appointments are kept. If you can’t, for any reason, attend one, please call us as far in advance as possible and make sure to rearrange at the same time. While the success rate of dental implants is extremely high, things ‘can’ go wrong and are more likely without appropriate monitoring.
Once your new dental implant is fully integrated and you are using it as you would a natural tooth, you might feel tempted to ‘slack off’ a little, especially given that it is made from artificial materials that won’t decay. If you do this, you are risking implant failure due to neglect. While it is true that the implant itself won’t deteriorate if not cleaned, its stability and strength depends on having healthy bone tissue. One of the things that can badly affect this is gum disease, and particularly the latter stage, periodontitis. There is also a similar issue known as ‘peri-implantitis’ which affects the surrounding tissues and may cause the gums to move away from the implant, increasing the risk of gum disease.
In order to maintain a healthy dental implant, you should brush and floss around it exactly as you (hopefully) do your own natural teeth. In addition to that, if you don’t see a hygienist already, you should do so. We recommend this whether you have implants or not as this is an excellent way of helping to prevent problems caused by gum disease.
As you can see, a little care does need to be taken with implants, especially in the first few months following their placement. Once this period is complete though, it really is just a case of maintaining good oral health habits. If you do this, there is every likelihood that your implant will last you for many years. Remember too, that if you have any concerns about your implant after placement or even years later, we are here to help!
If you are considering dental implants to replace a missing tooth, why not take the next step today and arrange a no obligation consultation with one of our Witham implant dentists? We will be able to discuss the procedure in more detail with you and answer any questions that you might have. You can call Blake Dental today on 01376 501688.
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Katie Annabel Blake trading as Blake Dental is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Financing First Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Katie Annabel Blake is a credit broker, not a lender. The provider of a payment scheme which is not offered through or by Financing First Limited may not be so authorised and regulated.
