Before Your Surgery: Prepping Yourself For A Dental Implant

If you have had a tooth removed and seriously want to get a dental implant, you might think setting up an appointment for the surgery is a simple task. What you might be unaware of is that your dentist or oral surgeon may not clear you for such a procedure right away. To protect your dental health and prevent post-procedure complications, they may want to see the following steps from you before they'll move forward with the implantation process.

Strengthen Your Bones

Above all, your oral surgeon or dentist will want to ensure that your jaw is strong enough to handle the entire dental implant process. They will likely test your bone density. If the density is too low, the dentist will suggest vitamin D supplements or calcium supplements to strengthen the bones until your test results are better.

Stop Smoking

If you're a smoker, you've likely been encouraged to kick the habit. If you want a dental implant, you may be encouraged to give up the habit again. That's because smoking can make the healing go more slowly; this can be risky after the implant is installed into your gum and jaw. Nicotine and tobacco can also interfere with the ability of the implant and jawbone to fuse together. Try to cut down your tobacco in the days and weeks before you hope to get an implant done.

Get Deep Cleanings

It's vital that your mouth be in its best condition before an installation of a dental implant. For that reason, your oral surgeon or dentist might ask for you to undergo root planing and scaling or other deep cleaning procedures for your teeth and gums. This is particularly important if you have bleeding gums or any sign of gum infection. That's because one risk during dental implant installation is a condition called peri-implantitis.

Peri-implantitis is an infection around the implantation site that causes inflammation and could cause possible bone loss in the area. It can be more likely when bacteria are already present under the gumline, as is common with gum disease. Peri-implantitis is a very serious condition; if that occurs after your implant is installed, you will likely need some kind of further surgical intervention to stop bone loss.

Dental professionals will give you all the guidance you need to have a good experience when getting a dental implant. Ensure you make the personal changes necessary to make the entire procedure and recovery an easier process.