If one of your relatives or friends is planning on getting dental implant surgery, then there are some things you might want to know, like information on helping them prepare and tips for after care.
It’s great to be able to support someone you love if they need you. When they visit a dentist like Moor Park Dental in London, you can ask to be present during one or more of their appointments so that you can get detailed information on what will happen. They may really appreciate having a second ear as there can be quite a lot to take in. The dentist will always make sure that they have all the information they need before they agree to go ahead.
Dental implants are fixtures that are placed in a patients jaw in order to hold prosthetic teeth later on. Patients need to be under local or general anaesthetic while dental implants are being fitted. The healing time afterwards can take around eight weeks or perhaps more, depending on the condition of the patient and the health of their jaw bone. Things get progressively easier and more normal during that time. It can be really useful to have someone around to help at various points if that is what the patient wants.
Before surgery
Beforehand, it may just be helpful to be someone whom they can talk to about plans and what will happen. There may be decisions the patient needs to make about surgery. They will also need to think about getting food that they will be able to eat into the kitchen.
On the day
The patient will need to have someone who is ready to drive them home following the procedure. Complete bed rest is recommended immediately afterwards. Your friend or relative will need to eat very soft or liquid food for a little while to avoid disturbing the implants. They may also want mild painkillers in order to manage potential soreness.
Long-term
The great news is that, long term, dental implants hardly require any adaptation on the part of the patient, depending on what they have had fitted. Once healing is finished and their choice of synthetic teeth is attached in the form of a crown, bridge or dentures, they will be able to use them like normal teeth.