Achieving quality dentistry for life 

This brief instruction page will help you to understand the procedure for placing dental implants.

1. Please have a good night’s rest before the day of implant placement, and eat a moderate breakfast or lunch.
2. You will be given a local anesthetic to block sensation in the area selected for implant placement.
3. Sterile covers will be placed over your clothing, hair, and our work surfaces to help control any potential bacteria in the area.
4. We will wear special sterile clothing to eliminate any contamination.
5. A small incision will be made to obtain access to the location where the implant will be placed.
6. Several different sizes of small drills will make precise as well as painless preparations in which to place the metallic implants.
7. Implants will be placed into the prepared sites.
8. Your gum tissue will be stitched together to isolate the newly placed implants from oral fluids and foods. The stitches will dissolve or come out themselves, unless we advise you differently.
9. You will be asked to bite on gauze sponges for at least one half hour to stabilize the site and stop any slight blood flow.
10. You will be given at least 2 prescriptions which you should obtain immediately:
    • An antibiotic to control any potential infection. Please take this medication as directed until the tablets are gone.
    • A pain relieving medication to control discomfort. Take this medication until you do not need it anymore.
11. Anesthesia should remain in your mouth for at least one hour after completion of the implant placement.
12. As soon as possible after treatment, place ice in a plastic bag and put it on the outside of your face for a few hours over the sites where the implants were placed. This reduces the swelling and any potential bruising you may have. However, you may still have some swelling and bruising for a few days. They will go away gradually.
13. There may be a feeling of numbness caused by the surgery that lingers for a time. Usually this goes away rapidly. In a very few cases it does not go away totally.
14. Eat and drink only very soft foods for a few days. The less force you put on the implants at this early time, the better the chance of their optimum healing. Over 95 percent of implants are accepted well by the body, but a few are not.
15. We anticipate that these implants will serve you well for many years.

• Implant Process
• Your New Implant Prosthesis
• Cracked-Tooth Syndrome

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