At CS Family Dental, we receive many inquiries into our office about whether or not it will take a long time for dental implants to heal. It is a common question and naturally, you may want to know if you will be able to resume normal activities or not. The time it takes you to recover from dental implant surgery will depend on you. Each patient is different, and someone may have a 6-month heal period while someone else may experience a longer or shorter heal period. The amount of time depends on the individual’s health and also how well their body heals in the first place.
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Here at CS Family Dental, we treat about 99 percent of ALL dental implant surgery cases with a simple local anesthetic. While most patients are fine with the anesthetic, some patients may need sedation, which can include an intravenous option or oral option. While sedation can be used, it is not required for all patients.
Dental implant placement is considered to be a routine procedure and most patients who do not need to have any other additional procedure such as bone grafting or a sinus lift will experience little to no discomfort or swelling once the procedure is completed. Patients are able to live their life like normal and will not have to take time off work or stay back from a social setting. It is important to note that patients will need to change their diet for some time because the mouth may be irritated and sore. It is recommended that you follow a soft diet and avoid foods that are chewy or crunchy. CS Family Dental recommends that you take great care when brushing too as you may irritate the area further.
It would not be possible for us to tell you that there are ZERO side effects to the dental implants process. There are some side effects that CAN occur and while RARE, we must inform you about them. Some of the most common side effects include swelling in the mouth and minor discomfort for a few days following the procedure. You may experience some type of bruising in your mouth as well. If these symptoms do occur, you should take all prescribed medications from our dentists and follow our aftercare instructions. After about 7 to 10 days, you can return to eating a diet that is normal for you but do know that some patients must stay on a soft diet for up to 6 weeks.
Any patient who does have a bone grafting or sinus lift performed may experience more pronounced swelling after the procedure is completed. If you do receive any additional procedures, our team will inform you of how to properly care for your mouth and prescribe any additional medications as necessary.
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Can My Implants Heal Improperly or Fail to Heal?
The time that it takes to heal and whether or not your implants will heal will depend on your body’s tolerances and also your lifestyle choices. For example, someone who smokes cigarettes will not heal as quickly as someone who does not smoke and is considered to be healthy overall. Smoking is one of the reasons why dental implants take long to heal and it can lead to failure of the implants as well.
The healing process from dental implants is affected by your lifestyle choices and some reasons why the healing times may be delayed include:
- Poor diet
- Smoking
- Excessive use of alcohol
- Lack of proper dental care
The dentists at CS Family Dental want to remind you that it is important to care for your dental implants as you would your natural teeth. If you do not take care of your dental implants, they can fail, or you may not heal as quickly as you would like. Plaque and tartar buildup can lead to an infection around the gums and this can cause serious issues for your dental implants. Once you have received dental implants, our dentists will go over the proper care for them and let you know what to look out for.
Once the healing process has begun, you can expect the dental implant root to fuse with your jaw bone, but it will not happen immediately. In most cases, patients can be fitted with a bridge or crown immediately, should they need one. However, it is ideal to have the crown or bridge placed later on down the road once the implants are completely healed.
You will receive regular checkups here in our office to check the progress of your dental implants and their bond to the jaw bone. You do not want to rush this process and you can expect it to take a few months up to a year.
If you would like to learn more about dental implants or the time it will take for them to heal, now is the time to call CS Family Dental and book your free consultation.
