Category: Blog

Important Tips For Aftercare

You now have a new implant in place and you hear your dentist give you aftercare instructions. Be sure to take the plan to heart as it can spell the success of your implant journey. Your aftercare program can prevent infection, help make your implant last as long as it can, and, effectively bring you to enjoy good oral health. Here are the most important tips.

At home, try to rest and wait until the effects of the anesthetic wears off. It is normal to experience slight discomfort and pain. Take anti-pain meds as needed if your dentist prescribed them. If swelling is present, apply cold compress – an ice pack wrapped in a towel on the affected area in the first 24-48 hrs.

After the first 24 hours of your surgery, and if there is no bleeding, rinse your mouth with warm salt water 2 to 3 times a day to hasten healing. Use a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water.

Avoid any strenuous activities for several days as healing may go faster when you are rested.

Your diet after surgery is important. Avoid extremely hot and spicy foods and beverages because they can irritate the surgical site. Opt for soft foods and avoid chewing near the surgical site. Eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, dairy products. Proper nutrition supports the healing process.

Stay hydrated. Drinking water helps maintain a moist oral environment, which is conducive to faster healing. It also helps to flush out bacteria or debris that may have collected around the implant site. This can help prevent infection.

Maintain good oral hygiene as you would your natural teeth – twice daily brushing and daily flossing.
There are special toothbrushes specifically designed for dental implants which have soft-bristles. Use a non-abrasive toothpaste and apply only mild flossing especially in the site area. A few seconds of rinsing (not swishing) with saline water is an effective mouth wash.

Avoiding smoking and drinking alcohol is part of implant aftercare. Nicotine and alcohol slow down the healing process and can harm.

Keep your dentist appointment as agreed upon. You may have to visit more often than every 6 months to track your progress and spot early signs of infection, if any.

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Dental Implant Aftercare in Federal Way

Rest assured that when you have your dental implant at West Campus Dental, your aftercare will be one of your best experiences here in Federal Way.

Introduction to Dental Implants

For patients undergoing dental implant procedures for the first time, understanding the process and what to expect is crucial. Dental implants serve as a durable and long-lasting solution for replacing missing teeth, offering both functional and aesthetic benefits.

Unlike traditional dentures or bridges, implants are surgically placed into the jawbone, providing a stable foundation for artificial teeth. This permanence and stability make dental implants a popular choice for individuals seeking a reliable solution to restore their smile and oral health.

The Implant Procedure

The dental implant procedure typically involves several stages, beginning with a comprehensive evaluation by a dental specialist. During this initial phase, the dentist assesses the patient’s oral health and bone structure to determine suitability for implants. If deemed suitable, the surgical placement of the implant into the jawbone follows. This procedure is performed under local anesthesia to ensure patient comfort.

After the implant is inserted, a healing period ensues, allowing the implant to fuse with the surrounding bone in a process called osseointegration. Once osseointegration is complete, typically over a few months, the final restoration, such as a crown or bridge, is attached to the implant, completing the restoration of the missing tooth or teeth.

Post-Implant Care and Maintenance

Following the placement of dental implants, patients are provided with post-operative instructions to facilitate proper healing and ensure the success of the implant. This may include guidelines on oral hygiene practices, such as gentle brushing and flossing around the implant site, as well as dietary recommendations to promote healing and minimize discomfort.

Regular follow-up appointments with the dentist are essential to monitor the progress of the implant and address any concerns or complications that may arise. With proper care and maintenance, dental implants can provide patients with a natural-looking and functional solution for missing teeth, improving their quality of life and confidence in their smile.

Q: What are dental implants?

A: Dental implants are artificial tooth roots made of titanium that are surgically positioned into the jawbone beneath the gums. They provide a stable foundation for replacement teeth, such as crowns or bridges, that look, feel, and function like natural teeth.

Q: Who is a suitable candidate for dental implants?

A: Generally, individuals with good oral health who have sufficient bone density in their jaw to support the implant are suitable candidates for dental implants. However, each case is unique, and factors such as overall health, gum health, and lifestyle habits are considered by the dentist during the evaluation process.

Q: How long do dental implants last?

A: With proper care and maintenance, dental implants can last a lifetime. Regular brushing, flossing, and routine dental check-ups are essential to ensure the longevity of dental implants.

Q: What is the dental implant procedure like?

A: The dental implant procedure typically involves multiple stages. Firstly, the implant is surgically placed into the jawbone. Then, a healing period of several months allows the implant to fuse with the bone in a process called osseointegration. Finally, once the implant has integrated, a custom-made crown or bridge is attached to the implant to complete the restoration.

Q: Are dental implants painful?

A: The dental implant procedure is usually performed under local anesthesia, ensuring that the patient does not feel pain during the surgery. Some discomfort and swelling may occur after the procedure, but this can be managed with pain medication prescribed by the dentist.

Q: Can dental implants replace multiple missing teeth?

A: Yes, dental implants can be used to replace a single missing tooth, multiple missing teeth, or even a full arch of teeth. Depending on the individual’s needs, dental implants can support various types of restorations, including crowns, bridges, or implant-supported dentures.

If you have any additional questions or concerns about dental implants, please contact West Campus Dental Center.

Durability and Longevity: The Key Advantages of Dental Implants

Dental implants offer unparalleled durability and longevity, making them a preferred choice for those seeking a permanent solution to missing teeth. Unlike traditional dentures or bridges, which may require replacement or adjustment over time, dental implants fuse with the jawbone, providing a sturdy foundation for replacement teeth. This integration not only ensures stability but also promotes bone health by stimulating natural bone growth.

Aesthetic Appeal and Functional Excellence: The Promise of Dental Implants

Beyond their structural advantages, dental implants offer unmatched aesthetics and functionality. Anchored directly into the jawbone, implants closely mimic the look and feel of natural teeth, boosting confidence and improving self-esteem. They enable normal eating and speaking without the discomfort or inconvenience often associated with removable dentures, providing a seamless and comfortable experience for users.

Preserving Oral Health and Facial Structure: The Comprehensive Benefits of Dental Implants

Dental implants contribute significantly to overall oral health by preserving neighboring teeth and preventing bone loss in the jaw. Unlike traditional bridges, which require adjacent teeth to be ground down for support, implants protect surrounding teeth, promoting long-term oral health. Furthermore, by maintaining bone density in the jaw, implants help preserve facial structure and prevent sagging, contributing to a youthful appearance. Overall, dental implants offer a comprehensive solution for individuals seeking to restore their smile’s beauty, functionality, and health.

When faced with the loss of a single tooth, a dental implant coupled with a crown emerges as a viable solution. This approach effectively replaces both the missing natural tooth and its root, ensuring a comprehensive restoration of both form and function. Dental implants stand out among various tooth replacement options due to their ability to seamlessly mimic the appearance and performance of natural teeth while preserving the integrity of adjacent teeth—a crucial advantage over conventional tooth-supported fixed bridges.

Benefits of a Single Tooth Dental Implant

One of the primary benefits of opting for a single-tooth dental implant over a bridge lies in its capacity to maintain the health of surrounding teeth. Unlike bridges, which necessitate the alteration of neighboring teeth to support the prosthetic structure, dental implants stand independently, thus obviating the need for any modification of adjacent healthy teeth. Consequently, the structural integrity and vitality of neighboring teeth remain uncompromised, contributing to overall oral health and stability.

The inclusion of a dental implant addresses the issue of bone preservation, a critical aspect of long-term dental health. By replacing the natural tooth root, implants integrate with the jawbone, fostering bone health and preventing the resorption or deterioration commonly associated with bridges.

This not only sustains the structural integrity of the jawbone but also ensures a more aesthetically pleasing outcome over time, as it mitigates potential complications such as gum recession and bone loss beneath the prosthetic structure. Thus, opting for a single-tooth dental implant not only offers immediate functional and aesthetic benefits but also promotes enduring oral health and well-being.

An individual is deemed an optimal candidate for a dental implant under the following conditions: They maintain good overall physical and oral well-being, possess sufficient jaw bone to accommodate the implant, and exhibit healthy gum tissues devoid of periodontal disease. Dental implants are intricately linked with both the soft tissues, such as gums, and the underlying hard tissues, namely bone, within the oral cavity.

Types of Dental Implants

Single Tooth Dental Implant

A single-tooth dental implant offers distinct advantages over alternative tooth replacement methods. Firstly, it closely resembles and operates like a natural tooth, thus providing a seamless aesthetic and functional solution.

Moreover, unlike a tooth-supported fixed bridge, which necessitates the alteration of adjacent healthy teeth to support the bridge, a dental implant preserves the integrity of neighboring teeth by independently replacing the missing tooth without impacting surrounding dental structures.

Multiple Tooth Implants

Multiple tooth implants offer distinct advantages over fixed bridges and removable partial dentures. Beyond their ability to closely resemble and operate like natural teeth, multiple tooth dental implants stand out by replacing teeth without relying on adjacent natural teeth for support. This stands in contrast to conventional treatments for multiple tooth loss, such as fixed bridges or removable partial dentures, which are contingent upon the support provided by neighboring teeth.

As a result, multiple tooth implants not only provide a seamless and functional replacement for missing teeth but also eliminate the need to compromise the integrity of adjacent teeth, thus promoting long-term oral health and stability.

No One Is Too Old For Implants

For some of you in the elderly group category, you might want to ask if dental implants can work for you as it does with the younger set of adults. Fortunately, dental implants are just as effective and long-lasting in older age. A lot of dentists’ experience and clinical studies say so. Learn more here.

Some experts say that if you are over age 60, you may want to consider the risks of implants. According to a 2020 published study, older persons have a slower healing time from a surgical procedure, such as implant surgery. They also have other preexisting conditions that may be affected, like heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. As such, the elderly may have compromised bone health from the procedure. Nonetheless, as an elderly, discuss options with your surgeon if you’re concerned about any of these risks prior to getting dental implants.

Due to the support of this growing trend of dental implant placement in older adults, a retrospective study reported the five-year implant survival rate in elderly patients was 99.0% and the 10-year cumulative survival rate was 98.1%. Clearly, this demonstrates that dental implants work well in this population.

There is also another study where patients between 66 and 93 years of age, who received implants had excellent implant survival rates, low periodontal disease index scores, minimal changes in interproximal bone health, and outstanding quality of life scores. Additionally, they suggest this cohort can be maintained in good oral health. The study also showed that implants proved to work well in elderly people or patients with reduced bone density and heal with the same predictability as those in younger groups. In many cases implants, rather than dentures, are the treatment of choice for the senior ones.

The take-away here is that dental implants improve the quality of life for many older patients by enabling better and quality nutritional intake and encouraging a more active social lifestyle.

Moreover, depending on the professional provider’s training, skill and confidence, older patients with many medical conditions can take advantage of recent advances in oral healthcare, like implants. With the appropriate patient and proper treatment planning, adults in their 90s can still benefit from implant therapy.

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Dental Implants For Seniors in Federal Way

We take very special care of our senior patients who we feel are great candidates for dental implants. If you are considering implants, rest assured of a safe and pleasant implant journey with us at West Campus Dental Center.

Staying Safe with Implant Surgery

In many cases that dental implants are recommended by the attending dentist, they are safe. However, there are instances when the procedure is not indicated and other alternatives may be more suitable. Learn more here about the complications, and risks associated with dental implants. Knowing them may give you a better understanding about implant safety.

Dental implants have amazing benefits, but there may be reasons some people are just not suited for it.

For example, smokers, those with periodontitis, diabetes, an autoimmune disease, or a compromised immune system, including those who have osteoporosis, and those under chemotherapy, are not as good candidates for implants. Likewise, certain allergies and medications are also contraindicated. These conditions may only compromise the implant stability, the healing process, and overall gum health. Hence a thorough oral exam and medical history are important prerequisites for implants.

On the other hand, patients must be advised well by their health provider about possible complications arising from implant dentistry. It’s an invasive procedure as you know it and just like any other surgery carries with it some risks and possible complications.

First of all, there may be problems during the surgery. For example some injury may happen to your other teeth, the soft tissue around, including the bone, sinus cavity, and nerve supply. The choice of a qualified and experienced surgeon should decrease this risk.

In like manner, a surgeon-dentist with sufficient expertise may decrease the likelihood of implant failure arising from insufficient setting of the implant, lack of implant to bone integration from technique, or even loose implant may happen.

Other complications may arise from the long healing time. Patients may not be mindful that strenuous activities, choice of food, lack of proper cleaning, among others, may affect implant stability while its healing. Infections, such as peri-implantitis may jeopardize implant success. In some cases tooth sensitivity can occur. Nonetheless, if you are in good health, you follow supportive gum care, and have regular dental visits for follow-up can ensure low incidence of complications.

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Observing Safety and Risk Reduction in Federal Way

When you have your implants with West Campus Dental Center, rest assured that your safety and dental health success are our business. We are your go-to dental implant provider in Federal Way, WA.

Dental Implant Options

If you have already settled to have a dental implant for a missing tooth, have you planned with your dentist as to which type is best suited to you? It’s good to know about your options since there are several. Learn more about your choices here.

There are single implants that replace a sole missing tooth. Multiple implants replace a few missing teeth. Now if you are edentulous, meaning you do not have any more natural teeth left, there are such cases of full-mouth implant. For full-mouth, you will get the full complement of upper and lower artificial teeth supported by only several implants anchored to the jaw bone. The ideal candidate should be in relatively good health and healthy and strong enough jaw bone.

There are several types of dental implants and two of the most common are endosteal implants or subperiosteal implants. They differ in how they are anchored to your jawbone. 

The most common of the two is the endosteal type. It’s in the shape of a small screw, cylinder, or a blade that can hold one or more replacement or artificial teeth. The implant is drilled into the jawbone that holds the artificial teeth in place. It is the option implant if you already have dentures or bridges. The subperiosteal type is made up of a metal post that is placed on or above your jawbone; it sticks through your gum to hold it in place. This is an option if your jawbone is too thin or soft, or you are against a bone augmentation procedure, or if you cannot wear dentures. 

There are other kinds of implants for special issues. For example, the Zygomatic implant, which is not for singular teeth but for a whole set of upper teeth. It anchors in the upper bones of the face and it is for patients with severe bone defects.The All-on-4 implant is a trademarked implant that uses only four standard implant posts to anchor a full-arch bridge in place. If it’s for a full mouth that should be eight implants in all. It’s the same as wearing traditional dentures.

Mini dental implants are small implants that are toothpick-sized or as small as the lead of a pencil. The implants use a less invasive procedure and are an option if you have a lower denture that needs stabilizing. Also, it’s a choice when there is severe bone loss and limited jawbone available.

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Best Dental Implant Options in Federal Way 

Come see your Federal Way dentist for more dental implant options. Whatever your jawbone health status and your personal preferences, we give you choices to suit your specific needs.

General Dental Implant Outline 

Patients are told to expect that the dental implant process can last as long as 12 months to complete as it involves multiple procedures and requires a healing period before the next procedure commences. Hence, convinced patients must have a certain degree of commitment to the process for a successful outcome. Here’s a general outline of the process.

For the preparation, a thorough evaluation includes a comprehensive dental exam, a review of your medical history, and a discussion of your treatment plan. The evaluation is important to assess your dental health, especially the health of the bone that will support the implant.Likewise, your medical history might reveal existing conditions that may impede the healing process or affect implant longevity.

The next step is the removal of the damaged tooth or teeth that are planned for replacement. To control pain, anesthesia options during surgery include local anesthesia, sedation or general anesthesia.

A bone graft follows if you don’t have sufficient bone to support the implant; like if your jaw bone is too thin or soft. Bone is taken from elsewhere in your body and added where it’s needed. If not, synthetic and natural donor bone options are also available.

After some healing time, the implant will be inserted deep into its place in the jaw bone, just like a natural tooth is anchored into your jaw. Now another healing time is allowed so that bone grows around the implant (called osseointegration). In the meantime, you will have to wear a temporary denture to cover the gap where the original crown had been.

A few months later, when bone growth has stabilized and the implant is secured in place, an abutment (a metal extender) is added on top of the implant that will hold a permanent crown in place. An abutment is used to connect the replacement tooth to the implant. The gum area is closed around its edges. It will take another 4 to 6 weeks for the gum to heal.

The final step is the new crown placement. It’s the artificial tooth atop the abutment that matches your teeth color and is of the shape and size of the original damaged tooth. It was made by your dentist who had taken an impression of your teeth so that your permanent artificial replacement tooth can fit. 

Although the process may be long and quite tedious, the benefits of implant dentistry are amazing. Your new implant can serve you long and in good stead. Be sure you visit your dentist regularly.

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Learn More About Dental Implants in Federal Way 

Experience the benefits of implant dentistry when you see the experts in West Campus Dental Center. Rest assured that you’ll understand all the steps involved… plus more!