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Dental implants have a longer lifespan than any other treatment for missing teeth. They last 30+ years and can easily last a lifetime with proper care. They also never move or shift, unlike dentures, and require less special care than dentures or bridges. Implants also stimulate your jaw bone when you chew and bite, which prevents the bone from weakening after tooth loss.
After you’re approved for implants, you’ll come into Bespoke Dentistry for your implant placement surgery. Dr. Stempfle will clean and numb your mouth. Then, she will use special dental tools to create an opening in your gum and jaw bone, and follow your surgical plan to place your implant precisely in the right location. Then, she will sanitize and suture the area. This process will be repeated if you’re getting multiple implants.
After your surgery, you’ll go home to heal. Most patients can get back to work or school within a day, but it will take 1-2 weeks to heal from surgery. In addition to this, it will take up to 3-6 months for your jaw bone to heal around the implant and lock it in place. This process is called “Osseointegration.” During your recovery time, you’ll come in for multiple appointments at our office so that Dr. Stempfle can track your progress and start making your implant restoration.
Once your implant has fully integrated with your jaw bone and your implant restoration is finished, you’ll come back to our office for one last appointment. Dr. Stempfle will check the fit of your dental crown or other restoration, then attach it to your implant permanently. Then, you’ll be sent home to enjoy your new smile.
When it comes to a time-consuming and costly investment like dental implants, there are plenty of questions that you will want to ask. The most important questions have to do with expectations surrounding the surgery, materials, expertise, and how you should prepare.
Ask the dentist what qualifications and certifications they have in implant placement. What makes them qualified to perform this surgery and how experienced are they? Ask them how many implants they have placed and how many patients they have treated.
What technology is the dental office equipped with? You should screen dental offices for CBCT technology. Avoid dental practices that don’t use 3D scans, as they do not have sufficient technology to accurately assess bone density or accurately plan implant placement.
Will the same person who is placing your implants be the one attaching your crown or other restoration? Sometimes the implant process isn’t completed in the same place. If the dental practice has you making rounds to other dental practices to complete the tooth restoration, it’s best to avoid going there. You want the same person to complete the entire process so there isn’t any miscommunication.
Dental implants are low maintenance compared to other restorations like dental bridges or dentures. You need to brush and floss around your implant restorations just like brush and floss your real teeth. Brush your teeth and implant restorations twice a day along with your tongue and floss once a day.
Use a floss threader or water flosser to remove plaque and food particles from around the implants but never push floss down to the gum pocket. Attend regular dental appointments every 6 months, where we will thoroughly clean around your implants.
As long as you perform these low-maintenance oral hygiene practices regularly, you will greatly reduce your risk of developing an infection or implant failure.
Ultimately, the length of time it takes to heal from dental implants depends on what stage of the procedure you are on, how many implants you are receiving, how complex your procedure, is, and how well you are caring for your implants.
There will also be some level of individual healing differences depending on what medical conditions if any you have. Patients who already had enough healthy bone density to support implants are likely to heal a lot faster than patients who needed to receive bone grafts.
The same goes for receiving one implant versus 6 to 8 implants. Since the latter is more invasive, it is reasonable that it would take longer for these oral surgery sites to heal. There are two oral surgeries involved in the implant process.
Both of these procedures can take anywhere from a day to 2 weeks to heal. Most people fully heal within just a few days. You should carefully follow your dentist’s aftercare instructions, eat soft foods, and avoid smoking.
After the first oral surgery, you will still need to wait 3 to 6 months for osseointegration to occur. This goes for all patients no matter how fast they heal from the first surgery. It takes 3 to 6 months for the jawbone and implant to fuse.
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