How Painful Is It to Get Dental Implants in Seminole, FL?
What Are Dental Implants?
They are small screw-like titanium metal posts created for use in restorative dentistry. Dental implants near you are unique dental restorations for permanently replacing lost teeth. Ideally, one dental implant can replace one missing tooth. After receiving the dental implant, your dentist in 33778 will crown it with a dental crown.
If you have multiple missing teeth, it would be excessive to have an implant for each of them. Instead, your dentist in Seminole, FL, will recommend an all-on-4 implant technique. It entails strategically placing a few implants in your mouth to represent the roots of the teeth. To crown them, the dentist will employ either dental bridges or dentures. Dentures and dental bridges will cover the gaps in your mouth sufficiently without requiring more dental implants.
What Should You Expect While Getting Dental Implants?
If you must prepare adequately for your dental implant procedure, you should know enough facts about the treatment. The fundamental facts about dental implant procedures are:
- The procedure is invasive – the number one thing you must know about getting dental implants is that surgery is the only way to get them. The procedure entails cutting your gums and drilling the jawbone to erect the titanium metal post.
- Sedation dentistry is often necessary – your dentist in Largo, FL, will spend quite some time before your procedure to explain the essence of sedation dentistry. With invasive dental treatments, sedation is paramount to help overcome dental anxiety, make the treatment painless, and help you remain still on the dentist’s chair. Dr. Cecilia Sorelle will take time to elaborate on the different types and levels of sedation that are necessary during dental surgeries.
- The procedure is permanent – since it takes surgery to install dental implants, it can only take another surgery to remove the implants from your mouth. Therefore, as you determine to replace your missing teeth with dental implants, understand that the procedure is permanent.
- The treatment involves two different dental visits – after your implant surgery, your treatment is not complete. The implant cannot serve you appropriately by itself. It requires a crown, which is why dentists use dental crowns, dental bridges, or dentures. However, the crowning of a dental implant happens on a separate dental visit, usually after your implant wound has healed enough. You must heal first to optimize the success of your treatment. Besides, any further dental work after your surgery may cause dental complications like infections on the implant site.
- Recovery takes time – unlike typical dental restorations, dental implant wounds take time to heal. At Dental Arts Seminole we advise our patients to expect downtime that stretches up to about three months after surgery as a healing period. That period is necessary to ensure that the titanium metal post integrates perfectly with your natural jawbone, becoming one with your mouth.
How Painful is the Dental Implant Surgery?
Without local numbing anesthetics, getting dental implants would be an unbearable procedure. The cutting of soft tissues and drilling of your jawbone causes significant pain. However, local anesthesia makes the process completely painless. You will not feel any discomfort in your mouth as long as it is numb. After your treatment, when the numbing wears off, you will experience soreness and discomfort. That kind of pain will last a couple of days after your surgery. The soreness may even prolong for weeks until your mouth has fully healed. Fortunately, dentists prescribe pain medication to help manage the discomfort as you heal.
Preparing for Your Treatment
Now that you know how intricate implantation surgeries are, you should prepare well for your procedure. Some tips to help you are:
- Liaise with your dentist – take time to indulge your dentist in different questions regarding the procedure. The more interested you are in your treatment, the less likely you will have dental anxiety.
- Eat well before your surgery – eat your favorite dishes a day before your procedure because you may not have the chance to enjoy them afterward.
- Get a goodnight’s sleep – sleep early to rest your body amply before the surgery.
- Take time off work – you will need to free up your schedule for a few weeks after your procedure until you recover.