Why Do I Keep Grinding My Teeth at Night?
Grinding your teeth at night could leave you with pain in your face and jaw in the morning. Read on to find out why you might grind your teeth — and what you can do about it.
Adjusting to Life with a Dental Implant
People missing one or more teeth often struggle with their oral health and self-esteem. Gaps in the teeth bring health issues and can be embarrassing. If you’re missing teeth, you might be looking for some type of replacement.
Many consider dental implants the best method to replace missing teeth. With this procedure, the implant is anchored in the jawbone to provide stability and strength for the replacement crown that tops the anchor as well as the surrounding natural teeth.
Still, dental implants may require an adjustment period as you adapt to the new kind of teeth in your mouth. Here are a few tips from Dr. Brian LaBombard and the team at Airport Dental Care in Austin, Texas, on how to adjust to life with dental implants.
The initial adjustment
With any dental restoration that repairs or replaces teeth, there’s an adjustment period for a few weeks after the procedure.
If you receive one or more dental implants, you can expect some pain and soreness at first. In addition to pain relievers for the discomfort, a cold pack can reduce any swelling.
Talking with dental implants
Speaking with dental implants may feel strange initially, especially if you get several implants at once. The key is practice. Your provider may give you some exercises to help you practice speaking with new teeth.
It may take 2-3 weeks to adjust. Just be patient, practice, give the process some time, and you’ll be fine.
Eating with dental implants
This may be obvious, but we’ll say it anyway. For the first couple of weeks after getting implants, don’t eat anything hard, sticky, or chewy. You don’t want to risk knocking off your new crown or irritating the implant site, so limit yourself to soft, mild foods and liquids.
You’ll be back to eating normally after a couple of weeks, but you should always be aware of how foods may affect your implants.
Oral hygiene
Just because you got a few new teeth doesn’t mean you can let up on the brushing and flossing. Letting these habits slide could lead to gum disease, which could affect the integrity of your jawbone, causing even more problems.
Continue to brush and floss daily, and visit your dentist a couple of times a year for a professional cleaning.
Dental implants can be a lifesaver for many people, but they do require a little time to get used to. If you’re interested in implants, our team at Airport Dental Care can help. Just call our office or book your appointment online.
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