Deciding to replace your missing teeth with dental implants is a big step and it’s normal to feel excited. Still, no matter how much research you do on your own, no matter how detailed your initial consultation with your dentist, you’ll still have quite a few surprises in store for you once your new implant-retained teeth are in place. However, learning as much as you can about what life is like during a dental implant procedure can help you prepare and make the most of this time of transition.
Adjusting Your Diet to Your New Teeth
In general, healthy patients who had one or two implant crowns placed will need to eat mild, softer foods for about a week before slowly working back up to a normal diet over the following few weeks. Patients who receive full implant dentures or immediate-load dentures may have to eat a soft diet for the duration of their healing period, which can extend up to six months in some cases. Once the implants heal, of course, a normal diet can resume.
Getting Used to Your New Teeth
Whether you lost a tooth a couple of months ago or you’ve been mostly toothless for years, you’ve likely grown accustomed to living life without a full set of teeth in your head. However, with dental implants, you go from no teeth to new teeth in a very short period of time. The shock of having something new in your mouth can be unsettling and even upsetting to some patients. It’s always good to keep in mind that these new teeth will be there for many years and will improve your confidence, chewing ability, and oral health immeasurably.
Budgeting for Dental Implants
According to a recent study, the price gap between implants and traditional prosthetics is swiftly closing. However, the cost of dental implants remains high for a number of reasons, including the materials needed and the skilled labor involved in performing the procedure. Most patients cannot pay for their dental implants in full at the time of treatment and most dental insurance plans do not cover many of the costs associated with implants (although, again, that is beginning to change). Instead, most patients opt for third party financing or an in-office payment plan. So, depending on the terms of the plan you select, you could be making payments for up to two years.