Insight To Help You Prepare For Your Upcoming Dental Implant Surgery

Posted on: 16 August 2021

Dental and oral health can make a big difference in your overall health and your self-esteem, which is why it is so important to take good care of your teeth and gums. When you experience tooth loss, you can be at risk of bone loss in your jaw and facial bones. Fortunately, however, with dental implant surgery you can repair this problem. Here are some recommendations to help you as you prepare for and heal after dental implant surgery.

Evaluate Your Health

Before you can schedule your dental implant surgery with your doctor, you will need your health evaluated to make sure you are ready. If you are immunocompromised at all, you may need to take antibiotics before your surgery and will likely need to continue doing so after your surgery to prevent infection. Oral infections can spread to the other areas of your body, which is why it is important to prevent complications after surgery.

Your doctor will evaluate your jaw bone condition to make sure it is adequate to accept your dental implants. If there is not sufficient bone material, they can use a bone graft to add the required volume for the surgery to be successful. And to help your body during the healing process, it is beneficial to stop smoking if you are a smoker, or at least reduce the amount you smoke before your surgery.

Prepare For the Surgery Day

Sometimes having dental implant surgery requires that you receive an IV sedation to keep you comfortable. This means you must ensure your stomach is empty. For this reason, do not eat or drink anything in the hours before your surgery. Your doctor will advise you if this is required. Otherwise, you can eat and drink as normal. However, be sure you wear comfortable clothing for the time during and after your surgery when you are waking up from your sedation. This will make you feel a bit more comfortable. 

Arrange for someone to drive you home from the surgery, especially if you are going to be sedated. Any medication and anesthesia can make it dangerous for you to drive yourself home. And it can be helpful to have someone with you for the first few hours after your surgery. Take some time off work so you can heal for a couple days, and arrange to get some help at home with meals, children, or pets so you can properly rest and heal. Contact a dentist for more information regarding dental implant surgery

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