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BlogsRestoration
August 24, 2022 by Gentle Dental 0 Comments

How to Heal After Dental Implant Surgery

Here are some tips for post-surgery care and long-term maintenance to keep your dental implants healthy.

Post-surgery care during the first 24 hours

Before your dental implants have been fitted your dentist will discuss post-surgery instructions so that you can properly prepare for healing.

You may be given anaesthetics before your dental implants are put in. In this case, you will be required to stay in the clinic until the effects wear off. You will be required to have someone drive you home after the surgery. Once home, here are some tips for healing in the first 24 hours:

  • Get plenty of rest. Avoid sleeping on the side of your implants as this will disturb the healing process.
  • Leave your mouth alone. You can ice the outside of your face for twenty minutes at a time with an ice pack or by wrapping ice in a towel.
  • Brush before bed. Brush your teeth before bed very gently. Make sure you use a toothbrush with gentle bristles and try to avoid disturbing your implant.
  • Take painkillers. You make take any medication as recommended by your dentist.
  • Drink plenty of liquids. Water, milk and non-acidic juice (avoid orange, pineapple or grapefruit juices as these can sting) will help keep you hydrated.
  • Try not to move too much. Your mouth needs time to heal so keep any activity during the first 24 hours to a minimum. Avoid jumping or sudden movement if you can.
  • Eat soft or liquid foods. In order to not disrupt your surgery site, eat only liquid or very soft foods, such as smoothies, yoghurt, ice cream, soups, or applesauce.

Post-surgery care on days 2-4

  • Rinse your mouth: On days 2-4 you can begin to rinse your mouth out very gently with salt water every few hours. Doing this too soon can disrupt the healing process.
  • Eat soft foods: Continue to eat soft foods. By the end of the week you should be able to introduce soft foods like mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, soft bread and ground beef.
  • Compress with a warm cloth: Switch the ice pack for a warm compress on the outside of the jaw. This will help relieve the pain.
  • Don’t smoke. Smoking can irritate your wound and prevent your mouth from healing properly.
  • Soften your toothbrush. Use a soft bristled brush and run it under warm water before you brush.
  • Avoid strenuous exercise. Avoid any exercise that involves jumping or rapid movements or is physically strenuous.

 Post-surgery dental implant care for weeks 1-4

 1. Brush and floss regularly

After day four you can rinse your mouth 3-4 times a day and start following a brushing and cleaning routine. You will need to devote extra attention to cleaning and caring for your implants. Bacteria and food can easily get stuck around your implants and gums and form plaque. This can lead to infections or gingivitis. Take your time when flossing and brushing. Use a soft toothbrush in the weeks following your dental implant surgery.

 2. Attend all your scheduled dental appointments

Dental implants are made up of three parts including the screw, abutment and the crown. Most people will need to attend several appointments to complete the procedure and ensure their implant is healing properly before and after the crown is placed. Make sure you are attending all your scheduled appointments as your dentist needs to monitor your progress after the initial surgery.

 3. Notify your dentist if you have any concerns

 Dental implants have an extremely high success rate. However, you must notify your dentist immediately if there is swelling at the implant, it seems to slip or sink under your gum tissue, or you begin to feel extreme pain. Essentially, the faster your dentist addresses any problems with a dental implant, the less likely you are to have major issues or need it replaced in the future.

 4. Eat the foods your dentist recommends post-surgery

Go easy on your tooth for at least three months. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy eating the foods you used to but remember that until your post-surgery recovery period has passed, it is possible that you may not be able to eat hard or sticky foods. Your tooth and gums may take some time before healing completely. Let yourself heal before eating foods that could stick or put pressure on your teeth.

 5. Follow the instructions from your dentist

When you get a dental implant at Gentle Dental, your dentist will talk to you about the recovery process, including what pain medication you can take, when to come in for a checkup appointment and what to expect during the healing process. To book a dental implant consultation click here.

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Blogs
January 20, 2022 by Gentle Dental 0 Comments

3 Signs You Need Dental Implants

Dental implants are a replacement for a missing tooth, however they don’t just fill the gap in your smile. A dental implant can restore your quality of life by improving your oral health, keeping your smile aligned, making chewing and biting more comfortable, and can make you feel less self-conscious.

Dental implants are a stable tooth replacement option, but how do you know if you are a good candidate for one? Here are 3 signs you may need dental implants.

You have missing or broken teeth

Broken teeth are often left untreated, but this can lead to poor oral health and infections in the long term. Likewise, if you have missing teeth and never get them replaced, you can also be leaving yourself open to oral health problems later on in life.

Missing or broken teeth can lead to tooth sensitivity, and infection in the jawbone. It can also affect the gum tissue and make it hard to eat some foods you used to enjoy.

If you experience the following symptoms, you may have a broken tooth:

  • Pain while chewing
  • Sensitive teeth and gums
  • Swollen glands in your neck and jaw
  • Pain with very hot or very cold temperatures

Removing the tooth and getting a dental implant is a good option for cracked or missing teeth. Having all your teeth makes chewing and biting easier. It also reduces bone loss from occurring and helps to stabilize the teeth either side of the lost tooth.

How missing teeth cause jaw problems

Bone loss is not only bad for your jaw it can change the way your entire face looks. Teeth give the outward appearance of our face a lot of structure. When you lose a tooth the skin and muscle that cover it begin to sag and can make you look older than you are. In addition, a missing tooth can lead to shrinkage of the gums which puts you at a higher risk for gum disease.

You have an infection

Poor oral hygiene can lead to infections in the mouth. If not treated, or if they persist, the tooth may get to the point where it can’t be saved. In this situation, it may be better to have the tooth removed and replaced with a healthier option.

Tooth loss shouldn’t be treated as an inevitable part of aging. With good oral hygiene, regular checkups with your dentist, flossing and brushing twice a day, you can keep your real teeth well into old age.

There are some behaviours you might be doing right now, which can lead to damaging your teeth or are linked to poor oral hygiene habits.

Quit doing these things to improve the health of your teeth
  • Using your teeth as tools. Don’t use your teeth to remove the caps off bottles or for cracking nuts, chewing pencils or cutting tags or thread.
  • Clenching and grinding. Over time these behaviours can wear down on your teeth. Wearing a mouthguard when you sleep can help.
  • Smoking contributes to poor blood circulation, which can weaken gums and lead to tooth loss.
  • Poor nutrition. Soft foods can make your jaw weak. Start including raw, crunchy vegetables like carrots and celery into your diet to put your jaw and teeth to work.
  • Not brushing or flossing. Periodontal disease can make you susceptible to tooth loss. Set a reminder on your phone if you forget to floss or brush in the evening.
  • Not seeing a dentist regularly. Don’t just see your dentist when you’re in pain. Regular checkups can pick up problems with your mouth, teeth, and gums that you can’t see.
  • Drinking sugary drinks. The sugars in fizzy drinks interact with bacteria in your mouth and form acid that eats away at your teeth. Swap the sugary drinks for water instead.
You have dentures that don’t fit correctly

Removable dentures can be a solution if you have more than one tooth missing. While they may feel like a quick fix, they require constant cleaning and don’t let you enjoy the same foods. Worse still, dentures that don’t fit properly can be painful. The discomfort of badly fitted dentures outweighs any upsides.

Dentures can shift around in your mouth and press on sensitive parts of your gums. A dental implant is securely inserted into your jawbone and won’t ever move. It functions just like a real tooth and doesn’t require any additional care, outside of brushing and flossing as you would with your real teeth.

Dental implants are a more permanent solution. Even though they may need to be replaced every 15 years, they require much less maintenance than dentures and won’t cause irritation.

Book an appointment to enquire about dental implants

If you have missing or cracked teeth, or dentures that are causing you discomfort, talk to us about getting a dental implant. Book now.

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BlogsRestoration
November 14, 2021 by Gentle Dental 0 Comments

Can Dental Implants Be Replaced?

If you have dental implants the crown of your implant can be replaced if it is damaged. However, dental implants are inserted with the intention that like real teeth, they will be with you for life.

Dental implant surgery can cause a lot of stress and strain on the jaw and is not something most dentists want their patients to have to go through more than once. However, there are some instances where your dental implant as a whole may need to be replaced.

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are permanently installed to replace a broken or missing tooth. Dental implants are made to replace individual teeth and do not need to be removed like dentures.

A dental implant is made up of:

  • a receptor. These are not designed to be replaced. These are inserted into the jawbone to hold the crown of the tooth in place.
  • and a crown. The crown screws into the receptor and can be replaced if damage is caused to it.
Why might a dental implant need to be replaced?

A common reason a dental implant may need to be replaced is because of poor oral hygiene habits that can lead to infection. However, according to one study age, length of the implant, the diameter of the implant, bone quality, and region of the implant are all factors that determine how long dental implants will survive.

Dental implants are grafted into the bone. Poor hygiene can cause gum disease which can lead to the loosening of the gum from the bone and undermine the implant.

When the implant is no longer supporting the tooth the whole dental implant may need to be extracted.

What factors can cause dental implants to fail?
  • Smoking: Smoking restricts blood flow to the bones which can lead to the loosening of the gums. When the gums are loose the implant has a harder time being supported by the jawbone the implant is grafted to. Dental implants in smokers have a 20% higher failure rate than non-smokers.
  • Gum disease: Gingivitis leads to weakened gums which affect the success rate of an implant. You will need to have healthy gums to undergo dental implant surgery.
  • Bone loss: Some people have an insufficient bone in their jaw for dental surgery to be effective. Osteoporosis in older age can have an effect on dental implant success.
  • Pre-existing conditions: Some medical conditions can cause the body to heal slower than a healthy body. Dental implants can take up to six weeks to heal. Diabetes or arthritis may cause the jawbone to heal very slowly. One study from 2016 found heartburn medications may reduce new bone growth. Talk to your doctor about which medications you are on before undergoing dental implant surgery.
  • Bad oral hygiene: Poor oral hygiene can lead to the failure of dental implants. This is because diseases like gingivitis can compromise the health of your gums.
How to know if my dental implant is failing?
  • Infection, bleeding, or pain around the implant unrelated to the initial surgery
  • The implant becomes loose or falls out
  • Numbness, tingling and loss of feeling in the jaw or area where the implant is
  • Sinus problems which develop after surgery. This could be a sign the implant is touching the sinus cavity.
  • Peri-implantitis. This is highly uncommon but is caused when the bone and gum around the implant are inflamed from a bacterial infection.
How to ensure your dental implant lasts a lifetime:

Brushing for two minutes a day with an electric toothbrush is one of the best ways to keep your dental implant healthy. Flossing every day between teeth is critical to keeping the gums healthy and strong.

Keeping a consistent schedule with your dentist is also key to ensuring your dental implants last a lifetime. If you have dental implants and are concerned about its longevity, book in now to see one of our highly qualified dentists.

Our dentists will take a look at your implant and give you the advice and guidance needed to keep your mouth and your dental implant healthy.

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