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 It’s Never too Late to Straighten Your Smile

Braces as an adult? No way. At least, that was what I thought when my dentist told me that I was going to have to see an orthodontist about my crooked teeth. But my teeth were so misaligned that they were causing me pain when I chewed, so I decided to at least look into it. Turns out braces today are nothing like the ones my friends had when I was a kid. Mine were practically invisible, and I didn't need to wear them that long. I started this blog to encourage other people like me who are nervous about the prospect of wearing braces as an adult. My straight smile is so worth the trips to the orthodontist, and wearing braces was nowhere near as bad as I thought. Read on to find out more about how you can straighten your smile.

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It’s Never too Late to Straighten Your Smile

How To Prepare And Maintain Your New Dental Implant

by Jacqueline Byrd

Experts suggest that there are over 3 million people in the United States who currently have dental implants and believe that number is growing by about 500,000 a year. With so many dental patients choosing dental implants as an option to correct a problem with their teeth and mouth, the need to understand how to care for that implant is important. Not only is important to care for the dental implant after it is placed in your mouth, but you want to care for the area before and during the restoration process as well. In an effort to ensure that your dental implant is a success, here are some tips for caring for it. 

Before Restoration

Dental implants require at least one round of surgery depending on how many implants you have installed. Before going through the implant surgery, you will need to have your teeth and mouth thoroughly examined. From there, your dentist may require either a mold of your teeth and x-rays. By doing this, the dentist can then determine if your jawbone is in the proper condition to support your implant and how many teeth need to be replaced with the implants. Additionally, your dentist will ask you about any heart conditions you may have. If you do have any, your dentist will prescribe you an antibiotic to ward off any infections during the surgery. 

During Restoration

Anesthesia is one of the most important parts of a dental implant surgery.  To help combat the pain during the procedure, dentists will use various forms of anesthesia to make the patient more comfortable. There are three common forms of anesthesia, including general anesthesia, local anesthesia, and sedation. If you plan to be sedated or receive general anesthesia, then you will need someone to drive you home after the procedure. In some cases, the process of adding a dental implant can take between 3 to 9 months. From bone grafting to placement of the implant to waiting for the bone growth, it is important to speak with your dentist about the entire procedure so you know what to expect. 

After Restoration

Just like your regular teeth, you want to maintain your new implant by brushing and flossing it. It is common to experience some swelling, bruising, and tenderness around the implant. You also want to eat soft foods until most of the symptoms have cleared. To help clean the area between your natural tooth and the implant, you want to talk to your dentist about getting an interdental brush. This helps retrieve food and plaque that gets trapped in tight crevices. Click here for more info.

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