Preparing for After Getting Dental Implants Placed

When getting dental implants, it is important to make some preparations before you come in for the surgery. You should be of the mindset that, no matter how minor, having dental implants installed is a surgery. This will allow you to prepare accordingly. You will be placed under anesthesia, which mean that there will be some immediate recovery time after you come out from under the influence of the medication. We recommend that if you want to leave immediately, you bring a designated driver with you to take you home after the surgery. Otherwise, you will need to spend some time with us at the clinic since we do not allow patients to drive until they are completely recovered from the effects of the anesthesia. Having a person with you can also be useful as there will be instructions that we will give you when you are released. Dental implants are a commitment and the most secure and permanent way to replace a tooth that you have lost. However, this means that you will need to commit some healing and recovery time to allow the surgery to heal correctly. This means that you will need to cut back on some strenuous activities for the first several days afterward. While you may be able to return to work the day after, we still recommend staying on light duty for several days. Additionally, you will need to make some conscious choices while the site of the surgery is healing. People have a tendency to want to touch the site of an injury without realizing it. We strongly recommend that you make an effort to stay away from touching the dental implant for the first few weeks. Avoid touching it with your tongue as well, since this can lead to discomfort and can make the healing time longer. Keeping your finger out of your mouth and away from the site of the dental implant is important as well, since there is a lot of bacteria that can be introduced into the mouth, and lead to an infection, by putting a finger on the implant while it is still healing. In order to avoid some kind of infection from occurring, we will prescribe a course of antibiotics. With any surgery, there is always a risk of infection, and we want to make sure that we nip any chance of an infection in the bud. Your course of antibiotics will start the day after your surgery is completed and will run several days. It is important that you fill the prescription immediately and ensure that you take the entire course. Since antibiotics can be harsh on the system, especially the digestive system, we recommend taking these medications with a meal or a glass of milk. Keeping the site of the dental implant clean is not as complicated as it sounds. When you leave, we will give you a rinse solution that you can use 3-4 times per day to make sure that the site stays clean and disinfected. This will help your gums to heal quickly after getting dental implants.