What to Expect During and After Dental Implant Surgery

If you have lost a tooth, dental implant surgery restores your smile, protects your remaining teeth and jaw, and allows you to chew, speak, and have a full, gorgeous smile. An implant is a prosthetic tooth that is inserted into the space where the roots of the missing tooth were located. Once installed, it will feel and appear just like a natural tooth.

At Bucktown Wicker Park Dental, highly experienced and compassionate dentists Melissa Daza, DDS, and Michelle Schwartz, DDS provide a full spectrum of high-quality dental services at their dental office in Chicago. Drs. Daza and Schwartz take the time to ensure you get your questions answered in order to be prepared for your treatments and reduce any anxiety you might have. 

What is a dental implant?

When you lose a tooth, you have a few options for filling in the space where that tooth had been, including dentures, bridges, and implants. Your natural teeth are connected to your mouth through roots that extend down into the bone of your jaw. 

A dental implant is a replacement tooth that is permanently affixed to your jaw using a post fitted into the space where the tooth root once resided. This allows the implant to function, look, and feel just like the rest of your natural teeth. Dental implant surgery is quite common, and implants have a success rate of 98%, so you can feel confident that this procedure will work.

During your dental implant surgery

Before beginning your dental implant surgery, your dentist will numb the treatment area using a local anesthetic, so you are awake, but don’t experience any discomfort during the procedure. Once you are ready, the dentist drills into the space left by your missing tooth’s roots, and fits a titanium rod into that space.

Once the rod is fitted to your jawbone, it is necessary to wait about 12 weeks while your jawbone grows around the metal rod, a process known as osseointegration. Your dentist can place a temporary denture in the empty space while you are waiting for this process to finish.

Once the post is solidly attached in the root, your dentist once again numbs the treatment area with local anesthesia before attaching an abutment to the metal post. Your dentist then fits the replacement tooth, known as a crown, over the abutment to complete the procedure. 

After your dental implant surgery

Following your appointment, you may experience some discomfort as your body heals from the surgery. This can include swelling in your gums and your face, possible bruising, as well as some pain or bleeding at the location of your implant. You may need to take antibiotics and/or pain medication during this time. 

Dr. Daza or Dr. Schwartz provides you with instructions about other things you should do after your surgery, which likely will include eating soft foods as the implant area heals. You need to care for your implant by brushing and flossing it the same way you do the rest of your teeth. With proper care, the implant will last for a long time. 

Dental implant surgery might make you feel nervous, but if you are prepared, it will make you feel less anxious and the procedure will go smoothly. We are here to provide support, excellent care, and answers to your questions to make the procedure as easy as possible.

To learn about implant surgery or other dental services we offer, call Bucktown Wicker Park Dental to schedule an appointment today!