Dental Implants & Veneers

Dental implants in Leawood, KS Business located at 38.9576186 -94.6279488

Dental Implant Healing Time And What To Do After Getting An Implant

If you’re getting ready for dental implant surgery, you’ll be surprised to learn that recovering from your dental implant placement is easier than most people expect. 

Anyone receiving dental implants can expect a minor recovery process, but it’s typically easier than most patients realize it’s going to be. Since dental implants are a relatively newer procedure for placing an artificial tooth, there’s still a lot that the general public may not know about the process. The great news is that as long as you work with an experienced implant dentist and follow your home-care instructions, you can typically get back to your normal activities within 24 hours. 

What Can I Expect During The Healing Process?

Your mouth will probably be slightly sore or tender right after dental implant surgery, but any mild discomfort will get better each and every day. Normally Dr. Gordon recommends taking an over the counter medication such as Motrin or Tylenol as directed. If you experience any swelling, applying a cold compress and rinsing with warm salt water is helpful. 

Recovering from the surgical procedure really only takes about a day, and you won’t need any prescription pain medications. However, the osseointegration healing process where your implant, jaw, and bone graft fuse together can take several months. 

Tell Me The Best Way To Increase Recovery Time?

Your recovery after dental implant surgery is minimal, as long as you practice good oral hygiene and take any prescriptions (pain relief medication, antibiotics, etc.) as prescribed. The surgical site on your gum tissue may be slightly tender, so make it a point to eat soft foods and be gentle with your oral hygiene habits. 

Since gum tissue has several blood vessels, minor bleeding immediately after your dental implant surgery is completely normal. Give yourself at least 24 hours off from work, exercise, and other strenuous activities. Having some ice packs and moist heat on hand for initial swelling is also a good idea. After a few days, you can begin eating firmer foods. 

How Much Pain Will I Feel?

The initial local anesthesia used to numb your dental implant site will wear off within a few hours. If you’ve had a tooth extracted, there might also be a blood clot at that area with minimal swelling. Fortunately, our Kansas City dental implants typically present extremely little discomfort after your new teeth are installed. Since the root portion of an implant is set into the bone, away from any nerve endings, recovery time is much quicker than more conventional types of oral surgery. A small incision will pose mild irritation, but usually nothing more. Again, the best pain relief comes from Tylenol or Motrin. You won’t have to worry about any type of pain relief as the bone osseointegration healing occurs. You’ll heal faster after implant placement than you do something like wisdom tooth removal. 

When Can I Resume Regular Activity?

The best thing we tell our Leawood dental implants clients is that you can typically get back to your normal routine within one day of your surgery. Even if we’re placing bone grafts alongside your dental implants. As long as you’re comfortable, feel free to go back to work or other family activities. If you’ve had a tooth extracted, Dr. Gordon may want you to wait a few more days just to make sure not to irritate the surgical site. After your gum tissues are recovered, your bone integration healing will continue for another few months. But just because your dental implants or bone grafting areas are still integrating doesn’t mean you’ll need to change your routine or experience any pain. This completely natural process just takes time. Most of the integration around implants or bone grafting materials can take anywhere from 3-6 months, depending on your oral health. 

When Will I Receive My Permanent Crowns?

If you have a missing tooth or are getting teeth removed, our dentist regularly delivers some type of same-day healing prosthesis. This interim tooth replacement offers you a solution to fill in the areas of your natural teeth while your implants are integrating and healing. These teeth are meant to provide temporary cosmetic and functional purposes on a short-term basis. Once your new implants are completely integrated with the bone around them, you’ll return to have the permanent prosthesis—such as a crown, bridge, or hybrid All-on-4 denture—attached on top of them. Dental implants are designed to look and feel like natural teeth. Many patients don’t think about implants as a cosmetic dentistry procedure, but they provide the same level of confidence as attractive, natural teeth do. 

How Do I Care For My Implants While They Heal?

Simple! Keep your oral hygiene routine to the basics. Avoid brushing or flossing around the implant site for the first few days. Instead, rinse with warm salt water to remove any food or bacteria and prevent infection. After your implant surgery recovery, you’ll want to start cleaning your dental implants the same way you would your natural teeth. During your treatment plan review, we’ll show you how to maintain good oral hygiene as your mouth heals following dental implant surgery. 

How Long Will It Take To Fully Recover?

Again, this is what surprises most of our cosmetic dentistry clients. Dr. Gordon assures our Leawood implants patients that the typical surgical recovery period is only about 24 hours. After that, you can go about your normal activities. Just remember that the recovery time for your bone, where osseointegration occurs, can take several months. To prevent implant failure, we won’t place permanent restorations for immediate use. Instead, you’ll wear a temporary healing prosthesis to fill in your missing teeth. 

Dental Implants in Leawood, Kansas City

Considering dental implants? Your recovery after the implant procedure is easier than other types of oral surgery. As long as you eat soft foods, avoid smoking, and have good overall health, you’ll only need to take about a day to recover. Have some Tylenol or Motrin handy for the first day or two. 

If you have any other questions about the implant procedure or dental implant treatment in general, feel free to reach out. Gordon Dental offers no-obligation new patient consultations at our office in Leawood.