Tips for a Successful Dental Implant Surgery

Dental implants offer a permanent option for dealing with missing teeth. Because it involves surgery, it requires some preparations to ensure you are healthy and ready for the procedure.

At Southshore Dental, our goal is to help you be as successful as possible for any procedure you choose to have. If you and your dentist have decided that dental implants are the best choice for your missing teeth, there are several things you can do to prepare for your procedure and help ensure the best possible result.

1. Prep Foods for Recovery
2. Practice Good Oral Health
3. Stop Smoking
4. Finding the Best Dental Implants for Your Needs
5. Maintain Good Physical Health

Prep Foods for Recovery

In the days following your procedure, you should give our mouth the proper time to heal by only eating soft foods. Most patients will premake meals and freeze them before going into surgery to have one less thing to worry about after their procedure. In addition to soft foods, like mashed potatoes, or soups, consider stocking up on some protein shakes or smoothies, so you can get the vitamins from fresh fruits and vegetables while recovering.

Practice Good Oral Health

Keeping your teeth and gums healthy is critical while you wait for your dental implants. If you have problems with the gums or teeth near the implant site, your dentist may delay the surgery. Your gums need to be pink and free from inflammation in order to move forward. To ensure you're in good oral health, brush and floss regularly, and consider using an anti-bacterial mouth rinse to add another layer of protection to your teeth and gums.

Stop Smoking

The implant failure rate for smokers is much higher than nonsmokers, as much as twice as high, so now is a good time to start the quitting process. Smokers are at higher risk for bacterial infection if they continue to smoke after implant surgery. If you can avoid smoking for at least two weeks before implant placement, you will have far less risk of complications from anesthesia and the surgery itself. This will also help you avoid smoking for the eight weeks post-surgery, which gives the implant site sufficient time to heal.

Find the Best Implants for Your Needs

Finding the best implants for your needs with the help of a trusted dental team. They will tell you whether you need an endosteal and subperiosteal implants.

Endosteal implants involve small titanium screws placed directly in the jawbone. This is the most common type of dental implant. Subperiosteal implants work for patients who don’t have enough healthy jawbone for the screws. These sit on or above the jawbone instead of screwing directly into it. Working with a dental implant specialist will ensure you choose the right option so that you have the best chance of success from the surgery. 

Maintain Good Physical Health

Because implants involve surgery, make sure you are in good physical health. Talk to your doctor about any conditions, such as high blood pressure, that might impact your surgery or cause reactions to anesthesia.

Good preparation is the key to a successful implant procedure. If you have questions about additional steps you can take, talk to your dental provider or the specialists at Southshore Dental. For more information about dental implants, our team of experienced dentists is ready to answer all of your questions.