Among the many great benefits of dental implants is their very high success rate. However, even with a low chance of failure, it’s important to do everything you can to maximize your odds of getting the dental implant results you’re looking for.
Many of the things you can do to improve your odds of success need to be done before the implant surgery. Here’re the things you should do before your implant surgery to give yourself the best odds of success.
Choose the Best Implant Dentist(s) for You
Your implant dentist is probably the most important factor in determining the success of your dental implants. You need to choose them carefully.
First, consider whether you want to choose a single implant dentist or a team. A well-honed team of implant dentists can work together, utilizing the specialized skills of each team member to achieve better results. The only disadvantage of a dental team is that sometimes they require you to travel to multiple locations. However, at Rice Dentistry, our dental team works in the same office for your convenience.
Next, make sure your dentist has the training and experience necessary to give you confidence in their abilities. Check that the implant dentists you’re considering have training in the surgical and restorative parts of implant dentistry. Also, make sure that they have placed and restored numerous dental implants–you can ask them how many cases they’ve done and how frequently they perform dental implant procedures.
Finally, don’t forget to review the dentists’ surgical results. Check out a smile gallery as well as reviews and testimonials from patients (and maybe even other dentists).
Be Clear About Your Goals
One of the important things about choosing the best implant dentist for you is that they have to be someone you’re comfortable talking to. You have to be able to tell them about your goals for your dental implants and restorations.
Talk about function. What do you want to be able to do with your replacement teeth? How important are the different functions: smiling, chewing, talking, etc.? How important is comfort?
Use specific examples of what you want to be able to do with your dental implants. What foods do you want to eat, whether you want to be able to do public speaking, playing a brass or wind instrument, or anything else? Whatever your goals, make sure they are clear.
When it comes to appearance, feel free to bring in pictures for reference. These can either be pictures of yourself when you had an attractive smile or pictures of smiles you admire and wish you could have. In the latter case, your dentist might talk about how the smile might not be right for the size and shape of your face.
Be Honest About Your Oral Hygiene
Another important reason to be able to talk to your dentist is that you have to be honest about your typical oral hygiene routine. They need to know how often you brush and floss, and how thoroughly you clean your teeth each time.
Dental implants, like natural teeth, depend on good oral hygiene for long-term success. Dental implants can be designed to be easy to clean, or they can be challenging. If you are good at oral hygiene and have excellent manual dexterity, your dentist might choose a more complicated set-up that provides more security and better functionality. If oral hygiene is challenging for you, you might be better off with a configuration that is easier to clean, even if it sacrifices some security and functionality.
Questions of hygiene are especially important if you are considering getting a fully fixed dental bridge–one that you don’t take out at night for cleaning. These need to be designed so you can effectively clean them to protect your dental implants.
Follow Preoperative Instructions
Once you’ve worked with your implant dentists to decide on the best implant configuration for you, they will tell you how to prepare for your dental implant surgery.
Common instructions include giving up tobacco and alcohol for a certain period before surgery. You may also have to stop taking certain medications for a while. This shouldn’t be a problem. If there are concerns, your dentist will have to talk to your doctor.
Make sure you’re practicing your best oral hygiene in the lead-up to your surgery. With tender gums and healing, hygiene might be limited or challenging for a few days.
Make sure you have transportation to and from your surgical appointment. Arrange someone to take you home. Your driver should be someone you trust, and they should stay to hear the postoperative instructions. In case you missed something because of sedation, they can be ready to refresh your memory.
Successful Dental Implants in Irvine, CA
If you are considering dental implants in Irvine, Rice Dentistry is fully committed to giving you the best possible results. We’re prepared to do what’s necessary to maximize your chances, and will work closely with you.
To set up your appointment at our office in Irvine, CA, please call (949) 551-5902 or email us today.
