Welcome to the final installment of this four-part article series on “All-on-4” dental implants and what Colorado Springs residents can expect from the procedure. Previously, in Part 3, we explained what usually happens on the day of the actual surgery, when you have your implants placed and your new set of teeth attached to the implants. Now let’s take a look at what patients can expect in terms of recovery and follow-up appointments…

Step 5: Recovery

If you were worried about a painful recovery, perhaps this will set your mind at ease:

“Quite a few of our patients actually return to work the day after their “All-on-4” procedure,” says one oral surgeon in Colorado Springs. “Having said this, we do recommend that patients book at least three days off from work so that they can get their recovery and healing off to a good start.”

Modern dental implant protocols and particularly the techniques used in the “All-on-4” have become wonderfully advanced in that they require very few incisions and sutures to get the job done. Due to the fact that these procedures are minimally invasive and minimally traumatic for patients, recovery is quite short and not very painful at all!

“Most patients take a couple of over-the-counter pain pills to control discomfort in the first few days and then they’re fine,” says the Colorado Springs dental implant surgeon. “In fact, recovery from a dental implant is no more uncomfortable than recovering from a tooth extraction, according to most of our patients.”

There are a few things you should know when going into the recovery phase of the “All-on-4” and that’s:

• You shouldn’t do any rigorous exercise or straining activities in the first few weeks.

• Stay away from hard, crunchy and chewy foods: your dentist will provide you with a list of foods that are considered “safe” to eat post-operatively.

• Get plenty of rest and drink lots of water.

• Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol.

• Take your medications as prescribed by your dental implant surgeon.

Recovery from surgery is a critical time, because your body will be healing and fighting off infection. As such, you should give it as much help as you possibly can by eating healthy, getting lots of sleep and avoiding damaging habits, such as smoking and alcohol consumption.

Step 6: Follow-up Appointments

Around 10 days to two weeks after you’ve had your “All-on-4” dental implants placed, you’ll return to the oral surgeon’s office for a follow-up appointment. During this consultation, your dentist will take X-rays of your healing jaw and perform a thorough visual examination of your teeth to ensure that your recovery is going well and that there are no signs of infection. He or she may also remove your dental prosthesis to clean it before reattaching it.

After a month or so, you’ll need to return for another follow-up appointment, so that the healing of your jawbone can be monitored. At the discretion of the Colorado Springs oral surgeon, a patient’s initial set of prosthetic teeth, which is temporary, will be replaced with a stronger, permanent set of teeth.

A Final Note

And that’s the “All-on-4” technique from beginning to end! You will, of course, be required to care properly for your new teeth by brushing and flossing daily and seeing the dentist for routine check-ups and cleanings, but these are things you’d be doing anyway if you had natural teeth.

Author Bio:

Aaron Matthews is an avid writer who loves to discuss about anything and everything related to oral health care. In this article, he has shared information on “What Colorado Springs Residents Can Expect from “All-on-4” Dental Implants, PART 4” after collecting information from Colorado Springs dental implant dentist.