If you’ve lost a tooth, odds are you’ve at least looked into dental implants. They are one of the most popular alternatives to dentures or bridges. They are sturdier, more pleasant to look at, more pleasant to deal with, and have a tremendous success rate.
However, there is a bit of a time commitment. You’ll need to allow time to plan for the procedure and allow plenty of time for post-operative healing. To preserve the implant and ensure it lasts you years (or even a lifetime), you’ll need to practice excellent dental hygiene. Finally, you’ll need to exercise some care in the types of foods you eat—at least in the short term, after the procedure.
First, understanding the procedure itself will help you understand why you’ll need to make some potential lifestyle changes in diet and hygiene. Dental implants are small metal rods that are surgically placed inside your jaw bone. The implants themselves are replacements for your tooth root, not your tooth itself. The implant is meant to fuse with your jaw bone and serve as an anchor for an artificial tooth.
Your surgeon will make a small cut into the gum to access the area of the jaw bone where the implant will be embedded. After the procedure, over a few months, your jaw bone will slowly grow around the implant, securing it in place.
While the success rate is high, like with many procedures, the post-operative period for dental implant surgery will be somewhat demanding. You’ll want to exercise excellent dental hygiene, as outlined by your dentist. Further, there are certain foods that you should avoid in the post-operative period.
Bone healing takes time, likely months. During that time, you don’t want to eat or drink anything that will interfere with the healing process, hurt your tissues, or damage the implant. Your dentist and a team of providers will likely instruct you only to eat soft foods, certain cold foods, and things like warm soup.
This means avoiding hard foods like nuts, granola, apples, crusty bread, and more. You’ll likely need to avoid foods that require excessive chewing. Soft foods, like scrambled eggs and mac and cheese, might become your “go-to's” for a while. Your family dentist and surgeon will give you more post-operative instructions, including what to eat and what not to eat.
Finally, you may be wondering what foods to avoid in the long term. The short answer? None. A successful dental implant procedure will allow you to eat the foods that you usually enjoy. That is because the implant acts as a replacement for the tooth root—the anchor. Dental implants are durable, long-lasting, and will allow you to resume eating your favorite foods without facing pain.
After properly healing, you will likely be able to eat anything you want. There may be some minor exceptions, such as advice to avoid chewing on ice or hard candy, but that is due to the propensity of crowns/artificial teeth to break, which is otherwise great advice to anyone.
Request an appointment here: https://stunningsmilesoflakeforest.com or call Stunning Smiles of Lake Forest at (949) 258-7433 for an appointment in our Lake Forest office.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Dental Implants in Lake Forest, CA.
The placement of dental implants is an intricate process involving the insertion of titanium posts into the jawbone. The posts mimic the functions of the natural tooth roots by fusing to the jawbone and support the replacement tooth attached to them. The process involves multiple dental implants, but the process is generally worth the trouble.…
While dental implant placement is one of the most effective ways to replace missing teeth, there are some scenarios in which these implants cannot be placed. Because dental implant placement requires surgery, there are a few general contraindications that may interfere with the procedure itself. When considering all of the tooth replacement options, it is important…
Learning about dental implant restoration is something everyone who gets one or more dental implants needs to do, as they will need to undergo a restoration process if they happen to damage one of their implants. While it is difficult to damage an implant, it does occasionally happen, putting recipients on alert to take proper…
General dentists offer dental implants to patients with missing teeth to address cosmetic, functional and oral health concerns. Many patients do not know how to prepare for the consultation visit for multiple dental implants, and understanding useful questions to ask your general dentist is helpful. You may have specific questions that are important to you to…
Dental bonding is a common dental procedure that repairs damaged teeth (chips, cracks, etc.), fills in gaps between teeth and lengthens teeth that are worn down or naturally too short. Understanding the process that dentists use with dental bonding should help you decide if treatment is right for you. Although each dentist will have their own…
Thinking about getting dental sealant treatment? Dental sealants are a vital tool for preventing cavities or tooth decay. Tooth decay is a prevalent condition among children and teenagers, and when unchecked, it can lead to other serious oral issues such as premature tooth loss and gum disease. In combination with other preventive care measures such…