Dental implants provide an excellent long-term solution to missing teeth. With durable titanium posts that virtually become part of your jawbone, and natural-looking teeth attached to the implants, implants restore the mouth to full functioning capacity and dramatically improve its appearance. Implants are important to oral health because they provide patients with the security and confidence and are the closest we can provide to give you back a tooth you lost. When teeth are missing, a person becomes more susceptible to receding gums and bone loss. By combating these problems, implants can help to preserve facial structure and strengthen the bite.

At Huntington Bay Dental, our doctors and staff have extensive training and experience in the preparation and placement of dental implants. There are many things which make Huntington Bay Dental stand apart when deciding on implant care. Managing the entire process allows us to control quality, time, and expense. What this means for our patients is that the implant process is in the hands of qualified and experienced doctors who can provide implant services at a lower cost, in less time, in the most convenient way for our patients.

Placing dental implants can be minimally invasive and may require no incisions and only local anesthesia. The size of the implant is selected after thoroughly reviewing the cone beam 3D scan. All patients who have implants placed are contacted by their doctor that same evening to assure comfort and answer any questions they may have.

After implants have been placed, it’s important to follow these recommendations during the healing period:

General Care

• To control minor bleeding after surgery, apply moderate pressure with gauze pads or a clean, moist tea bag
  wrapped in a gauze pad.
• If you usually wear removable appliances, such as dentures or partial dentures, we may advise you not to
  wear them while the implant sites heal.

Medication and Discomfort

• Take antibiotics or other medications only as directed.
• To reduce discomfort or swelling for several days after surgery, use ice packs. It’s normal for your gums to be
  sore and swollen for several days.
• Beginning 24 hours after your surgery, rinse your mouth three times a day for two weeks with warm salt
  water. Use about one teaspoon of salt per glass of warm water. Swish very gently so you don’t disturb the
  implant sites.

Chewing and Eating

• Avoid chewing until the numbness from the anesthetic has completely worn off. If we placed any temporary
  restorations, avoid chewing for at least one half hour to allow the temporary cement to set.
• Limit your diet to soft foods like yogurt, cottage cheese, soups, soft cooked eggs, and ground meat for the first
  several months after surgery. Do not chew hard, crusty foods. Avoid foods with seeds. Also avoid very hot or
  spicy foods until your gums are healed.

Brushing and Flossing

• Brush and floss very gently. We may recommend that you clean implant sites carefully with gauze or a cotton
  swab. If we have recommended a mouth rinse, use it as directed.

About Tobacco

• Do not smoke or use any tobacco products until healing is complete. Using tobacco increases the risk that your
  body will reject the implants.

When to Call Us

• Call us if the tops of the implants gradually show through the gum. This is usually not a problem, but we
  should check it out.
• Call our office if you have persistent numbness, bleeding, or discomfort or if you have any concerns.