Dental Implants – West Jordan, UT

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The very first step in reconstructing your smile with dental implants is attending a consultation here in our office. During this appointment, we’ll closely inspect your jaw, teeth, and all other oral structures to ensure that you’re a good candidate for dental implants. This normally involves taking X-rays as well, to properly assess the density of your jawbone and ensure your gum tissue can healthily host implants. Some patients might need to undergo preliminary procedures, like a dental bone graft or periodontal therapy, before they can have their implant surgery scheduled.

Dental Implant Surgery

You’ll be happy to hear that we can complete the entire dental implant surgery here in our West Jordan office! This saves you quite a bit of time and effort in the grand scheme of things. This process is fairly straightforward, too. After numbing your mouth, we’ll make small incisions in your gum tissue to access your jawbone; the number of incisions depends on how many implants you’re getting. The posts are inserted at precise locations and angles, and then your gums are sutured shut. To maintain their shape and to shield your implants, a protective cap is often placed over them.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment Placement

You’ll spend the next three to six months healing; this recovery period is incredibly important because of a process called osseointegration. It refers to when your implant posts actually fuse with your bone tissue, which is what allows them to provide your future restoration with such impressive stability. Once osseointegration is complete, you’ll return to our office to receive your abutments, which are placed on top of your implant posts. These eventually secure your personalized restoration!

Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s)

Your replacement teeth will be designed based on impressions of your natural smile, meaning that we can promise they’ll look and feel as close to your original pearly whites as possible. These restorations are also fully customized for patients missing any number of teeth, anywhere in their mouths. We will make sure that everything functions as intended before sending you out into the world to enjoy your brand-new smile; and we’ll also be here to help you maintain it moving forward!

Day-to-Day Benefits

Dental implants look and feel just like natural tooth enamel. You shouldn’t notice a difference between them and your natural teeth. Here are some of the benefits that you can experience every day:

• Increased Bite Force: Dental implants allow for additional stability. You don’t need to shy away from tougher foods. You can expect them to restore up to 90% of your natural bite force.
• Easy to Maintain: Implants can be treated just like natural teeth. You shouldn’t have to make any changes to your diet or oral hygiene. Just brush twice, floss, and rinse with mouthwash on a daily basis.
• Increased Confidence: Dental implants blend in seamlessly with the rest of your smile, so they will look just like your natural teeth. You can enjoy a newfound confidence.

Health Benefits

In addition to daily benefits, your health will positively be affected by your dental implants. Here are some of the benefits you can look forward to:

• Improved Oral Health: Dental implants help to prevent additional oral health issues from developing, like gum disease and additional tooth loss.
• Better General Health: Having excellent oral health will positively influence your general health. It lowers your risk of serious medical conditions, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• Prevents Bone Loss: Dental implants stimulate the jawbone, preventing bone loss from taking place over time.

Long-Term Benefits

By choosing dental implants, you are making an investment in the future of your smile. Here are some of the incredible advantages you can experience for many years down the road:

• Long-Lasting: With excellent maintenance, dental implants can last for multiple decades or the rest of your life.
• Successful: Dental implants have an astonishing success rate of over 95%. Failure is highly unlikely.
• Save Money: You don’t need to worry about buying adhesives or soaking solutions when you have dental implants. They also don’t require frequent repairs or replacements. Dental implants reduce your risk of developing oral health issues, so you can save time, discomfort, and money.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

Once you’ve undergone the surgical portion, you’ll need to allow for the blood clot to form around the implant site so that it can heal properly. Other than getting plenty of rest (while keeping your head elevated), you’ll also want to keep the following tips in mind:

• Avoid spitting; use a clean tissue or swallow your saliva instead
• Do NOT smoke right after your treatment is finished
• Refrain from drinking through a straw; the suction can disturb the surgical site
• Keep your fingers and tongue away from the implant

Common Side Effects When Recovering from Dental Implant Placement

Most patients are bound to experience some mild side effects within a few days following their surgery. The most common ones include:

• Swelling: Inflammation typically occurs around the first 72 hours after the treatment. Make sure to use a cold compress to alleviate swelling.
• Bleeding: It’s normal to experience mild bleeding for a few days after the procedure, and you can easily manage it with clean gauze and light pressure.
• Discomfort: Minor soreness around the implant site is typical and can be alleviated with over-the-counter/prescribed pain medications.

Your Diet After Dental Implant Surgery

Since you won’t want to disturb the implant site, your diet after surgery should only include soft foods that don’t require much or any chewing. These can include:

• Yogurt
• Pudding
• Applesauce
• Pasta
• Scrambled eggs
• Mashed potatoes

Post-Op Health & Oral Hygiene

In many cases, patients can brush their teeth the day after their procedure. Just be careful when scrubbing around the surgical site so as not to disturb the blood clot that’s forming. When rinsing your mouth, use salt water to keep the area disinfected and allow the mouthwash to pour from your mouth; don’t spit it out. Also, make sure to avoid using mouthwash that contains alcohol, since this can irritate the surgical site.

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

Once your new teeth are placed, the tough part is over! Our team will provide you with your custom dental crown, bridge, or denture and ensure that it’s a perfect fit for your mouth. You may expect some sensitivity or soreness when first wearing your restoration/prosthetic, but this should only be temporary. You can even take pain relievers to minimize discomfort if necessary. Practice great oral hygiene and visit your dentist every six months, and you’ll be good to enjoy your new smile for a long time!

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Although your dental implants can’t decay, any natural teeth you have certainly can! Plus, your gums can develop an infection if you don’t consistently brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash. That’s why it’s so important to make each of these steps a priority.

Tip: If you have a question about your oral hygiene regimen with dental implants, get in touch with us! We can give you a refresher on proper techniques and even share recommendations on which products are best.

Eat a Well-Balanced Diet

While there technically aren’t any dietary restrictions with dental implants, there are foods that are more difficult to eat or increase your risk of a dental emergency. Hard pretzels, chewy meats, raw nuts, and marshmallows are a few examples. Instead, fill your meals with foods that will benefit your oral and overall health, like oatmeal, mashed sweet potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and plain yogurt.

Break Bad Habits

Using tobacco products can wreak havoc on both your oral health and your dental implants, which is why patients are encouraged to quit. Of course, that’s not the only bad habit you should break. Biting your nails, chewing on ice cubes, and using your teeth as tools to open things can also lead to serious damage, so make an active effort to adopt healthier habits instead!

Protect Your Dental Implants

Do you grind or clench your teeth at night? Do you like to stay active by running, lifting weights, riding your bike, or rollerblading? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, then talk to us about having a custom mouthguard made! This will help prevent chips and cracks from consistent pressure or an unexpected fall.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Patients often assume that they don’t need to come in for routine checkups and cleanings if they don’t have any of their natural teeth left. That’s not the case! After all, it’s still possible for periodontal disease, oral cancer, and other serious conditions to develop, which we need to detect and treat in the early stages. Plus, these routine visits ensure that we can assess the condition of your dental implants, reducing your risk of a dental emergency in the process.