Are you planning to get dental implants soon as a permanent option to replace missing teeth? If so, you'll want to do everything that you can to ensure that the implants stay healthy and do not fail. Here are some things to know that will help ensure the long term success of your dental implants.
Osseointegration Takes a While
The implant will be going through a process known as osseointegration during the first three to six months after your dental implants are installed. This is when the implant actually starts to fuse with the bone so that it solidifies as a permanent structure in your mouth. The timeline for how long it takes to happen is so big because your overall health plays a role in how long it will take for the process to happen.
Your dentist will look at all the factors at play and give you an estimate for how long osseointegration will take, but it is not a guarantee. The reason an estimate is given is that you need to return to the dentist for a final evaluation of how your dental implants are healing, and they want to see you after osseointegration is complete.
Bad Oral Health Habits Should Be Stopped
It is very important that you are extra careful with your dental implant until osseointegration is complete. The implant is not going to be as strong as it could be while the process is happening, which means the implant still has a chance of failure due to bad habits. This means that you have to evaluate your behaviors and stop doing the ones that can be bad for your oral health and the health of the dental implant.
You should not be putting an excessive amount of pressure on the dental implant when eating, since the implant needs time to heal. You also need to stop yourself from doing bad things, like chewing on ice or hard objects like pen caps. These behaviors put too much pressure on a dental implant and can cause it to fail during the osseointegration process. You should also avoid sticky foods that can cause your dental implant to grip onto the opposite jaw and put pressure on the implant when chewing.
With these two things in mind, you'll be well on your way to long-term success with your dental implant. Ask your dentist for more tips during your next evaluation.
Share22 October 2020
My son was outside playing with some friends when he accidentally fell down and hit his mouth on the sidewalk. The fall knocked out his front tooth, so I immediately placed the tooth in a small jar and added some milk. I rushed my son to the dental clinic and the dentist immediately took us into the examination room. The dentist placed the tooth back into the socket and saved it. My name is Beverly Tillman and thanks to the quick work of the dentist, my son didn't lose his tooth. Since this was a scary time for me and my son, I wanted to write this blog as a source of information for other parents who are facing a dental emergency. First of all, don't panic and get to your dentist as soon as possible. I hope this blog will help to answer your questions about dental emergencies.