Addressing Common Concerns About Dental Implant Surgery
ShareDental implants are awesome, but they do need to be inserted via a surgical process. This causes some patients to be concerned about the procedure. While most of the common concerns about dental implant surgery are understandable, they can also all be addressed and minimized with proper protocols, as you'll discover below.
Concern: You won't wake up from the anesthesia
This is a concern prior to any surgery. You may have heard horror stories about people not waking up after surgery. Luckily, this is not something you really need to worry about with dental implant surgery. Dentists don't usually give patients general anesthesia prior to implant surgery. Instead, they give them local anesthesia, which numbs the mouth but leaves you awake. If you're nervous, they can give you a sedative, which will make you feel more relaxed and sleepy, but not unconscious.
Concern: Your surgical sites may get infected
There is a risk of infection after having dental implants put in place, but that risk is small if you take steps to keep yourself safe. Your dentist will tell you to rinse your mouth with salt water several times a day while you're healing. This is not just to make your mouth feel better, it is also to prevent infection. Also, make sure you brush your teeth, although gently, and eat a nourishing diet to keep your body healthy.
Concern: Your mouth will hurt a lot after dental implant surgery
There is some pain associated with the healing process post-surgery. However, that pain should not be too severe or unmanageable. Most dental surgeons will give you prescription pain relievers to take the first day or two when the pain is at its worst. After that, taking ibuprofen and rinsing your mouth with salt water should keep you pretty comfortable.
Concern: You won't be able to eat solid food for a long time
You will want to avoid solid food for a day or two post-surgery, but after that, you can start eating soft foods again. There are plenty of softer foods that are easy to chew after implant surgery. Try soups, soft pasta, rice-based dishes, flaky fish, pudding, ice cream, and applesauce.
Getting dental implants may not be the most enjoyable thing you ever do, but it should not be as terrible as you're worried it will be, either. Hopefully having these concerns addressed will help you out. For more information about dental implants, reach out to a local dental clinic.