Recovery Time after Dental Implants

Studio City, Burbank, North Hollywood

Dental implants may be a great solution if you are missing one or more teeth. What people tend to overlook is that there are two gaps when a tooth is lost: the tooth gap and the root gap. There is a hole in the jawbone and if nothing is done the bone tissue itself will gradually shrink to fill it. This will change your jawline and overall facial appearance, giving you a more aged look.

Initial Recovery

The implant procedure goes in three steps, with the first step being implant placement in the bone. This is a fairly simple surgery and may even take less than an hour in the dental chair. In most cases, you will be able to return to work the following day.

Any discomfort would be managed with a pain prescription
You would need to be on a soft diet while the gums healed
Stitches may dissolve in a week or so or may need to be taken out by your dentist
There could be some minor bleeding

After this initial recovery you would be able to resume normal activities. For several months recovery would continue in the jawbone, with bone tissue growing and enclosing the implant. The small threads on the implant side allow bone cells to grow tightly around the titanium, making the implant part of the jawbone.

During this time you could resume normal dietary habits and would not need any pain medication or antibiotic.

Steps Two and Three

Step two is a minor surgery where we would place a small piece on the top of the implant. The implant itself is entirely invisible, as it is below the gums. The small piece attached now is called an abutment, and it will be partly below the gums and partly visible above the gums.

Recovery from this small procedure involves only gum tissue healing, not bone tissue. In the first day or two you might want a soft diet. About two weeks are typically allowed to pass before Step Three, and in this time you could mostly be on your normal routines.

Step Three is the attachment of your new tooth, an acrylic or porcelain crown, on the abutment. This is a simple procedure involving no gum work. No recovery time would be required at all. You may be having a bridge or denture anchored to the implant, and these would be easy procedures too.

You can read more on our Dental Implant Questions page and see some Before and After photos on our Implants Gallery.

The skilled cosmetic dentists at Smiles By Sands are ready to discuss your options with you. Dr. Jamie Sands or Dr. Jason Sands will perform a thorough dental examination to determine if you are a good candidate for dental implants, and will discuss the risks and potential problems of missing teeth. You will also have the opportunity to learn about our affordable financing options.

Please contact our Studio City cosmetic dental office today to schedule your free consultation.