Dental Implants FAQs

Answers to your questions about dental implants by Legacy Implant and Oral Surgery in Frisco, TX

What are the advantages of dental implants?

While you can replace a missing tooth or teeth with a bridge or dentures, these can be difficult to care for, are prone to slipping, and have to be replaced periodically due to changes in the mouth over time. Dental implants offer some advantages to dentures and bridges that many patients prefer, including:

• Dental implants are stable and permanent
• They improve the strength of the jawbone and encourage bone growth
• Dental implants and crowns look and function like natural teeth
• Unlike a bridge, with a dental implant, you can replace a single tooth without modifying the adjoining teeth
• It’s easy to care for implants – brush and floss the same way you would with natural teeth
• Your dental implants can last for decades with proper care
• Improved speech and comfort
• Convenient
• It helps maintain facial shape
• No need to limit what you eat

Does implant surgery hurt?

Dr. Stamboulieh performs implant surgery using IV sedation/general anesthesia, in addition to the local anesthetic that is long-acting to ensure you’re comfortable and pain-free during the treatment. After the numbness or anesthesia has worn off, you may feel some mild pain. This can be controlled with pain medication and by following our office’s post-op instructions.

What Can I Eat After Getting Dental Implants?

After the implants have fully healed and your crowns are in place, you are advised to avoid ice, granola, foods that are so hard other people can hear you chewing. In the days immediately after surgery and while wearing temporary crowns or dentures, avoid sticky, crunchy, or hard foods. After surgery, Dr. Stamboulieh advises a soft diet and avoids drinking through a straw for the first few days after surgery. You should also avoid smoking, vaping, and marijuana products as long as possible after surgery, as these can slow the healing process.

Are Dental Implants Hard to Keep Clean?

The permanent crowns can be treated just like natural teeth. Brushing with a soft bristle toothbrush and a non-abrasive toothpaste is essential, as is flossing in addition to daily use of a water pick. We require you to have regular 6-month dental cleanings at a minimum and checkups to ensure there are no future problems. With proper care, your dental implants should last for years.

Who Should Not Get Dental Implants?

Most healthy individuals can get dental implants. However, some people may not be good candidates for the surgery, including those with uncontrolled diabetes, anyone undergoing radiation or chemotherapy, and those with certain blood or bone marrow diseases or taking prolia and some other osteoporosis meds.

Will I Need Bone Grafts?

Even if you do not have osteoporosis in the jaw, we may need to add a particulate bone graft to the extraction site and implant site to strengthen the area and promote the growth of new, healthy bone. Most bone grafts can be done at the time of extraction and dental implant placement. We refer to this as an immediate dental implant as opposed to delayed placement. In general, the sooner you have missing teeth replaced with dental implants, the more likely you will have the bone density at the implant site maintained.