If you are thinking about improving your oral health or aesthetics and need a dental implant, it is normal for you to have many doubts about what the surgery, the postoperative period or the healing time of a dental implant will be like. In this article we are going to talk about one of the issues that most concern patients and that is knowing how long a dental implant takes to heal.
To do this, it will be necessary for the gum to have healed completely and a lot will depend on the types of dental implants used in the intervention and, above all, on each patient. Therefore, from our dental clinic we tell you everything you need to know about the healing time of a dental implant.
Healing time in traditional surgery.
The healing time of a dental implant is something that is quite worrying. People who come to our dental clinic come with different conditions, some come with a gap, due to the lack of a tooth, but sometimes it is necessary to perform an extraction, in this case, the first step to begin with the placement of the teeth. Dental implants consist of the extraction of the tooth in question. Once this is done, in most cases, you will have to wait between 3 and 4 months until the gum surrounding the tooth matures.
Once this time has passed, the wound will have healed and that is when the dentist will proceed to place the titanium screw in the bone. In this phase, the only thing that will be seen will be a small metal plate flush with the gum that can be hidden by a temporary cover. Thanks to this, the patient will not see their dental aesthetics affected and will be able to eat normally.
Once the dental implant is placed, the healing time for a dental implant is usually another three months until the area has completely healed. Therefore, the patient must go to the clinic again and the specialist will check that everything is correct and will proceed to place the final dental crown.
Healing after an immediate loading implant.
Technological advances in dentistry allow us to use new techniques in dental clinics, such as immediate loading dental implants.
Immediate loading implants have a great advantage over those placed with traditional surgery and that is that waiting times are greatly reduced, since on the same day the specialist extracts the piece and places the prosthesis together with the provisional crown. subjecting the patient to only one surgery, so the area only has to heal once.
This technique is not indicated for all patients, since they must meet a series of requirements to ensure its effectiveness. For example:
- Have a sufficient amount of bone to guarantee the support of the implant.
- Have healthy gums and teeth.
- Maintain correct oral hygiene after the operation.
- Do not suffer bruxism.
Healing in guided surgery.
This type of complementary procedure is carried out together with immediate loading, that is, the implantology’s will be able to place the dental implants with more precision and efficiency without having to give stitches.
With guided surgery, the healing processes in dental implants are significantly reduced, since it is not necessary to drill the gum, making the postoperative period more bearable.
This technique is previously planned by computer and a virtual sample of the patient’s teeth is created, thus obtaining the implantologist a splint that will serve as a guide.
Variations in times depending on the patient.
The times to heal dental implants may be altered depending on the needs of the person, which is why it is important before confirming the times, to make an assessment of each patient.
Before starting the placement of implants, the dentist will assess that the patient’s mouth is in good condition and does not require any additional treatment. Because if so, it has to be solved as soon as possible.
Care after implant placement.
From Salvador García we are going to leave you a series of recommendations that you should put into practice if you have undergone a dental implant placement procedure. This will help you ensure that the postoperative period and healing are correct.
- Maintain a post-dental implant healing diet, which will consist of eating soft foods during the first days after the intervention, avoiding chewing in the area where the dental implants have been placed.
- Regarding mouthwashes, they should be used from the day after the intervention.
- Tooth brushing is very important to avoid infections and keep the operated area clean, brushing it with a surgical brush.
- Smoking is completely prohibited during recovery since the substances contained in tobacco can prevent the correct healing of dental implants.
If you need more information about how much a dental implant costs, our maxillofacial surgeons have the necessary experience to evaluate your case. In our Chagger Dental Clinic, we use different dental implant procedures, adjusting each patient to the one that best suits them due to their characteristics. Therefore, make an appointment and we will evaluate your case.