If you’re considering a dental implant from Dr. Ray English and the team at RI Oral Surgery & Implant Center, you may be wondering what to expect as you heal from your surgery. How long does it take? Will you be in pain? When will you have to come in for follow-ups? In this blog, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about the healing process after you get dental implants in Rhode Island. Let’s get into it!
In the dental implant process, Dr. English will create a small opening in your gums and jaw bone, insert a titanium implant post into the bone, and then suture the area shut. Afterwards, you will benefit from taking the remainder of the day off to heal and recover at home.
It takes about two weeks to heal from your initial dental implant surgery. Typically, you’ll feel the most discomfort the first few days after your surgery. You’ll feel much better after a week, and initial healing will typically be finished within two weeks.
You may need to come back to our office for a follow-up or two so that we can check on your recovery. During this initial healing process, you’ll also need to watch what you eat, adjust your oral hygiene routine, and follow some other special instructions provided to you by Dr. English and our team.
After two weeks, your dental implant site may feel completely healed, but the healing process is continuing under your gums. Over the next 3-4 months, your implant will continue to heal and bond with the jaw bone. This is a process known as “osseointegration.”
Osseointegration locks your dental implant in place, and essentially makes it a natural part of your mouth. This allows your implant to be stable, strong, and long-lasting with proper care. During this process, you will continue to come to our office for checkups.
Once Dr. English has determined that your dental implant has fused completely with your jaw bone, you’ll come back to have a dental implant healing abutment placed. In this procedure, Dr. English will gently move the gums away from your dental implant, then attach another small piece of metal to the implant.
This is the “healing abutment.” It allows your dentist to access the implant and fabricate your dental implant restoration. Getting an abutment is a pretty minor surgical procedure but it still may take 2-3 weeks for the gums around the abutment to heal completely.
Our office will communicate with your general dentist to make sure they have everything they need to create a well fitting crown on your dental implant. This typically takes two visits to complete with your dentist. At the first visit, they will take an impression of the implant. On the second visit they will place the final restoration.
As an experienced implant dentist in Rhode Island, Dr. Ray English can answer any questions you may have about dental implants, walk you through what you can expect from the process, and determine if you’re a good candidate for treatment. So don’t wait. A better smile is just a click or a call away. Contact us online or give RI Oral Surgery & Implant Center a call at (401) 732-1188 to schedule an implant consultation in Rhode Island today.
Are you interested in dental implants or in finding out if you’re a good candidate for oral surgery? Schedule a consultation with Dr. Ray English III today! He’ll take the time to get to know you, and provide treatment plan options that are tailored to your unique needs, so you can get the care that’s right for you.
Monday: 8am - 4pm
Tuesday: 8am - 4pm
Wednesday: 8am-4pm
Thursday: 8am - 4pm
Friday: 8am - 12pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
