If you’re considering (or preparing to have) dental implant surgery, you’ll inevitably be wondering what to expect after you have the procedure done. Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) that we get from our implant patients at Aria Dental.
Are dental implants painful?
Like all surgeries, you can potentially experience some pain after dental implant surgery. However, we can provide you with medications (including analgesic pain-killers) to relieve your pain.
During your actual dental implant surgery itself, we will apply a local anesthetic to your mouth to prevent pain.
Do dental implants feel natural?
Dental implants are designed to feel, look and function naturally. However, because the implant is artificial to replace a missing tooth or teeth, you won’t have any feeling in your implant/s, so you don’t have to worry about your dental implant/s feeling ‘weird’.
You will only be able to feel the gum tissue surrounding your implant/s. It should feel normal and comfortable again within a week or two after your dental implant surgery. If not, you should schedule a follow-up visit with your dental implant specialist (called a prosthodontist) as soon as possible.
How long is the recovery time after dental implants?
Recovery times after dental implant surgery vary depending on the extent of the surgery and the type of dental implant surgery procedure performed. Typical recovery times range from 5 to 20 days.
There are four main types of dental implant procedures. These procedures are listed in order of complexity (starting with the simplest) below:
- single tooth implants
- multiple teeth implants
- full arch overdentures (these are removable dentures supported by implants)
- full arch fixed implant bridge (implants to replace your full set of upper and/or lower jaw teeth).
What ongoing care/maintenance is required for dental implants?
Ongoing care and maintenance is as important for your dental implants as it is for natural teeth. You should regularly review the success of your implant procedure and healing process with your prosthodontist in the weeks immediately after your dental implant surgery. This will enable any minor issues to be quickly identified and rectified. This review should be a part of your personalised post-implant surgery treatment plan.
After those initial few weeks, you should schedule regular check-ups based on the advice of your prosthodontist, just like you should for your natural teeth. You should also clean and take care of your implants just like you should for your natural teeth. This includes flossing and brushing daily to prevent plaque (bacteria) from developing and affecting the health of your gums and jawbone.
Ongoing care and maintenance of your dental implants will help to ensure the long-term success of the procedure. They can last a lifetime if treated properly.
How will dental implants affect your life?
Dental implants can be life-changing. They can significantly improve your life by improving your dental health, appearance, confidence, happiness and mental well-being. They can help to restore your smile, preserve your jawbone and enable you to eat a wide variety of foods more easily.
How much do dental implants cost?
The cost varies depending on how many teeth you need replaced ,the health of your gums, and whether you have any bone loss in your jaw or not. It’s best to speak to a prosthodontist to find out the estimated cost based on your specific needs. If you have health insurance, you may be entitled to a rebate to cover part of the cost.
Be very wary of getting a dental implant cost quote online (other than a very general price guide). It’s crucial to have a consultation with a prosthodontist to determine your specific dental surgery needs and the associated cost. Every person’s needs are different and it’s important to understand that dental implants involve surgery.
You should also be very wary of getting dental surgery done overseas in places like Bali or Thailand. You may not be getting your work done by a fully qualified professional and the ongoing care and maintenance by your service provider is also likely to be impractical.
How we can help you
Dental implant surgery is one of our specialist services at Aria Dental. We are a leading Perth dental implant surgery clinic, and we also provide ‘before and after’ advice and care.
In addition to our high quality dental implant service, we also specialise in:
- cosmetic dentistry (including Invisalign treatment), and
- high-end denture procedures.
Contact us at our Hay Street clinic in the Perth CBD to find out more about your dental needs