Dental Implant Restorations in Chicago
Dental professionals make every effort to keep teeth healthy so they can last a lifetime. Avoid many dental issues with thorough preventive care and maintenance. Still, tooth loss can be unavoidable due to hereditary factors, trauma, or advanced damage.
If you are faced with the predicament of missing teeth, let Dr. Russell Cecala be your trusted expert on dental implant restorations. At PerioCare Periodontal Medicine and Dental Implant Surgery, Dr. Cecala is known as a leader in the optimal placement of dental implants. His office restores health, beauty, and function to smiles for people living in Chicago and surrounding communities.
Restore Function, Health, and Beauty with Dr. Cecala’s Expert Dental Implant Treatment
No other tooth replacement can replace the entirety of lost teeth like dental implant restorations. With posts that mimic tooth roots and beautiful restorative crowns, you will feel as though you have grown a new tooth. The full force of chewing is restored, and prosthetic teeth shine with the luster of natural enamel.
Dental implants can be done for one tooth, a row of teeth, or a full arch of teeth. Dr. Cecala provides Teeth in a Day (All-On-4), a treatment that places a full arch bridge of teeth on four to six implant posts. Dental implant restorations have a 95% success rate, and with proper care, they can last a lifetime.
Another benefit of dental implants is the effect they have on the jaw bone. After tooth loss, the jaw bone begins to deteriorate through a process called bone resorption. Without tooth roots to stimulate the jaw bone, it begins to shrink. Loss of bone volume in the jaw threatens the health of other teeth, and it impacts facial structure. Mouths can appear concave and prematurely aged.
Few doctors can address all the issues that ensure successful and healthy dental implant restorations like Dr. Cecala, who is an expert in every aspect. After an initial assessment, he can prepare patients who require preliminary periodontal and bone grafting. He has vast experience in placing the implants, utilizing state of the art three-dimensional scanners for strategic placement. Dr. Cecala also only uses the highest quality prosthetic materials for restorative crowns that are lustrous and strong.
The Process and Treatment of Implant Supported Restorations
Dental implants are titanium posts placed into the jaw bone, where they will fuse with surrounding hard tissues after three to four months. While waiting for this process of osseointegration to be completed, Dr. Cecala will place temporary teeth onto the posts. Thus, you will not be toothless during the treatment process.
Contact Dr. Russell Cecala in Chicago for Expertise in Dental Implant Restorations
If you would like to learn more about dental implant restorations by a doctor who is an expert in the field, give PerioCare Periodontal Medicine and Dental Implant Surgery a call today! Dr. Russell Cecala has the experience, education, technology, and chairside manner to restore your smile to health and beauty with compassion and kindness.
Following dental implant surgery, patients must take detailed care of the area surrounding their new implant. For the first month the dental implant is still integrating with the bone and tissues so the patient’s care routine will be slightly more involved during this initial period. Above all, do not disturb the wound in the initial days that follow surgery. Avoid rinsing, spitting, and touching the mouth for 24 hours after surgery to avoid contaminating or irritating the surgical site. After dental implant surgery it’s important to follow these care instructions:
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Antibiotics – Patients should take all prescribed antibiotics to prevent infection at the surgical site. Twenty-four hours after the surgery, patients should begin using the prescribed oral rinse twice daily alongside a warm saltwater rinse 4-5 times daily (preferably after every meal/snack).
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Bleeding - Blood in the patients’ saliva is normal during the first 24 hours following surgery. We suggest biting on gauze pads to help control and lessen blood flow. Gently bite down on the gauze pad and try to maintain constant pressure, repeating as often as needed, or until bleeding lessens.
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Dealing with pain – Shortly after your dental implant surgery the anesthetic will wear off. You should begin taking pain medication before this happens. Any over-the-counter pain medication can be taken (e.g., Tylenol®, Aleve®, ibuprofen, etc.).
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Diet - We recommend an initial diet of soft foods, but patients can resume a normal diet as soon as they feel capable of doing so. Stay hydrated. It is critical that you are drinking plenty of fluids.
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Hygiene – In order for the dental implants to heal properly, the surgical site must be kept clean. DO NOTbrush your teeth in the area of the surgery. Avoid any sutures and do not brush the implant. The antibiotic and saltwater rinses will disinfect the implant itself.
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Swelling – After dental implant surgery some amount of swelling is to be expected. To help minimize swelling, try to keep your head elevated and lower your activity level as much as possible. Use ice packs for the first 48 hours and apply continuously, or as frequently as possible to minimize facial swelling.
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Wearing your prosthesis or night guard – Partial dentures, flippers, full dentures, retainers, or night guards should not be used for at least 10 days following surgery. If there are any special circumstances, our practice will discuss those with you during your pre-operative consultation.
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Smoking – Smoking after dental implant surgery has an increased risk of infection which also increases the risk of dental implants failing to integrate. We recommend that patients do not smoke for a minimum of 2 weeks after dental implant surgery.
What does recovery involve?
While each patient’s case is different, recovery after dental implant surgery happens in a series of phases. With your new dental implants, maintaining proper oral hygiene should be your primary focus. In order for the implant to properly fuse with the jawbone, it must remain clean. Also keep in mind that when properly cared for, a dental implant can serve its owner for life.
When maintaining proper hygiene, oral discomfort should gradually lessen. Swelling, bruising, and minor bleeding may still occur. If any pain does continue, feel free to continue using the pain medications.
Healing time differs depending on whether a patient receives immediate crown placement, or waits for the implant to fuse with the jawbone. Your recovery timeframe will depend on your individual case and treatment plan; follow-up appointments will be scheduled accordingly.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office.