If you’re ready to replace your lost teeth with dental implants, you’re making a great investment, but you might have to adjust your travel plans. A dental implant replaces both the root and the crown, which requires a multi-step treatment process, including oral surgery. Don’t worry, you don’t have to delay your trip indefinitely. Here’s how soon you can travel after receiving dental implants.
Dental Implant Process
A dental implant is unlike any other treatment because it mimics the entire tooth structure. It can take several months to complete the process, but it’s time well-spent to treat your tooth loss permanently. Every treatment plan and timeline differs, but you can expect the process to include:
- Consultation
Your first step to rebuilding your smile is a consultation with your dentist. They will examine your mouth and review a CT scan of your oral structures to ensure dental implants are right for you. They’ll create a personalized treatment plan to replace your lost teeth.
- Preparatory Procedures
It’s not uncommon to need a little prep work before getting dental implants, like tooth extractions, gum disease therapy, or bone grafting.
- Implant Process
After healing from any preparatory treatments, your dentist will use sedation to surgically place a titanium post into your jawbone to serve as a new tooth root. Your bone will fuse to it through a process called osseointegration, which can take many weeks.
- Abutments and Restorations
Once your jaw has healed, you’ll require a second minor procedure to place abutments on your posts. Your tissue will heal around them in about 2 weeks. Your dentist will also take an impression of your mouth to fabricate your restoration, which will be attached to your abutments.
Traveling After Dental Implant Surgery
It can take several hours for the effects of any numbing agents or sedatives to dissipate, so you don’t want to jump on an airplane right away. Not to mention, your mouth will feel sore for a few days. Your dentist will recommend waiting 10 to 14 days to travel if your treatment plan is complex. Your dentist will also advise against traveling right away if you require bone grafting or a sinus lift.
Your implant dentist will monitor your healing progression to let you know when it is safe to travel. You’ll be back on your feet and ready to head out of town in no time.
About Dr. Manal Kazi
Dr. Kazi earned her dental degree from Rutgers and has regularly continued her education in various specialties, including CEREC and dental implants. She is proud to be a member of several professional organizations, including the American Dental Association. Request an appointment through our website or call (973) 233-4603.