What is a tooth implant surgery? What to expect after your dental implantation procedure?

Dental implants are a modern and comfortable solution for tooth replacement. Whether you have one or more missing teeth, dental implantation is an extremely comfortable and durable alternative to traditional dentures. With this article, we would like to provide information about tooth implant surgery and what you can expect after your dental implantation procedure.

What is tooth implant surgery?

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root implant, which is surgically inserted into the jawbone in the place of the missing tooth. The implant will provide a fixed foundation for fixed teeth or removable teeth. The dental implant is made of titanium, and it serves as the root of the missing tooth.

This titanium will fuse with your jawbone and won’t decay over time.

Dental implants are made from “biomaterials”. When placed into human tissue, they behave naturally, and do not provoke adverse or allergic reactions.

Dental implant surgery explained step by step – Dental implantation procedure

How dental implant surgery is done, mainly depends on the type of dental implant and the condition of your jawbone. Usually, the process includes the following steps:

• Health check-up and consultation: this is the first step to discuss the necessary interventions, check your jawbone, and discuss what interventions may be necessary
• Planning the treatment: we take several X-rays and CT scans. We examine the quality and quantity of bone at the site of the dental implant, as well as the distance between the implant and your natural tooth. This way we can decide if you need bone grafting in the given area.
• Tooth implant surgery: it is performed under local anaesthesia so that the patient does not feel anything except for numbness. The locations of the implant in the bone are formed by various mechanical and manual equipment. Then the dental implant is screwed into the bone socket. At the end of the dental implant, the implant is closed with a healing screw and we will close the incision with sutures.

If bone grafting is necessary, in some cases it can be done at this stage. However, in many cases, bone grafting is done on a separate occasion.

• Gum contouring: this procedure allows future gum around the implant crown to grow to a size and shape similar to those around the natural teeth.
• Precision Impression and Design: at this point, we make a copy of the dental arches that the dental laboratory needs to make the final dental crown
• Crown preparation: Our colleagues specializing in the preparation of implant dentures prepare the most optimal and aesthetic prosthesis according to your oral conditions. Based on this, we may prepare a crown, a bridge, or even removable dentures.

After this, we make all the necessary adjustments so that it does not cause discomfort to the patient later on.

Check-ups are necessary every 3 to 6 months after recovery, so we can check the patient’s individual oral hygiene. During these check-ups, we have the opportunity to detect any inflammation that may develop after the dental implantation. It’s easier to treat them at an early stage, thus preventing dental implant rejection in the future.

Care after dental implants

Tooth implant surgery is a routine procedure at the Digital Dental Art Clinic, and you will be in safe and expert hands. However, the success of the healing period is also greatly influenced by what happens after the surgery. Appropriate care after dental implants is essential.

It is very important not to eat after dental implantation until the anaesthetic effect is completely gone.

This is especially important so as not to bite your lips or tongue, as you will not feel them while the anaesthetic lasts.

It’s important to note that after implantation, the anaesthetic causes a decrease in the function of the muscles responsible for swallowing. This function should be tested by drinking water two to three hours after the dental implantation surgery.

Dental implant aftercare tips

We would like to give you some dental implant aftercare tips as they are vital for the success of your procedure:

• You should take a painkiller before implantation – before the anaesthetic effect has completely disappeared. By the time the anaesthetic effect is completely gone, the analgesic will be absorbed so there is no need to endure unnecessary pain after implantation.
• After implantation, swelling of the face may occur, but icing can be effective in this case. It is best to use a freezing gel or ice pack. It should be wrapped in a soft cloth, and you can touch it to the facial skin at the site of the tooth implant. Approximately a quarter of an hour of icing is enough at a time, then you should take a break.
• If you experience pain after dental implantation, you may want to take painkillers. Most patients don’t need a painkiller from the next day on.
• Antibiotics are very important to prevent infection, so you should take them as they have been prescribed. If you have any questions after tooth implant surgery, talk to your doctor.
• We don’t recommend any demanding physical exercises in the days after your dental implantation. Physical work, as well as exercise, should be avoided as bleeding may occur.
• An environment that is too hot or too cold is not recommended for a few days after dental implants, so you should avoid going to the sauna, solarium, or swimming pool.
• Talk as little as possible in the days after your tooth implant surgery, as this is stressful for the oral cavity, so you should keep jaw movement to a minimum.

• It is recommended to avoid drinking alcohol and coffee, and avoid smoking for three days after the dental implantation procedure.
• After dental implantation, do not chew at the site of implantation or avoid consuming hard foods.
• You should avoid consuming all forms of dairy products for a few days.
• Spicy foods are not recommended either for a few days after dental implant surgery.
• The area of ​​the dental implant should not be touched with the tongue or finger, it slows down the healing process and can cause infection.
• Medicines prescribed by your specialist must be taken accurately to prevent post-implantation complications.
• Sometimes some sutures come loose a few days after surgery. This is completely normal as long as you don’t experience pain or discomfort, but the seams should not be pulled
• Sutures should remain inside for a minimum of five days after implantation. Suture removal usually takes place on the fifth to the seventh day. Please make sure that you come to our clinic in time.
• You will receive detailed information about what to do after the tooth implant surgery from your doctor.

What can you eat after tooth implant surgery 

Though dental implants are routine surgeries, they can be demanding for the body. So it’s important to know what one can eat after tooth implant surgery.

Before tooth implant surgery

It’s important to eat before your dental surgery. It’s also important to drink fresh, clean water. You may also drink freshly squeezed vegetable and fruit juices that prepare your body for the surgery.

First hours after your dental implant surgery

You can’t eat anything in the first hours after your dental implantation surgery. Surgeries are typically performed under local anesthesia. The anesthetic duration is approximately 4 hours, during which time, if possible, you should abstain from eating.

If you really need it, you can consume water, but – especially in the case of lower jaw surgeries – your tongue will also become numb, and you may choke on it, so you need to be careful.

First days after dental implantation surgery

On the day of surgery, follow a diet recommended by your doctor. Since surgery puts a strain on the body, anti-inflammatory and protective mechanisms will be active, which are greatly helped by the nutrients introduced from fresh juices. The nutrients in fresh-squeezed fruit and vegetable juice reach our cells in a quarter of an hour. You will feel much better and recover more easily by consuming them.

Don’t burden yourself with heavy food, and during the first days, it’s important to avoid dairy foods (milk, yogurt, etc.).

One week after your dental implant surgery

One week after the surgery, you can safely return to your usual meals.

The sutures will be removed 8-10 days after surgery if the doctor has worked with a non-absorbable suture. If you don’t experience any discomfort, the swelling has gone down and there is no pain in the surgical area, the healing period begins. This will take an average of 3-6 months.