Costa Rica Dental Tourism News – If you are someone who is interested in having dental implants or knowing the answers to the What and How questions then this article would be beneficial to you.
Let us first know what a dental implant is. A dental implant is a metal rod fabricated out of titanium or titanium alloy that is imbedded into the jawbone to support and securely anchor replacement teeth in the same way that natural root holds natural teeth in place. One single implant can hold down and support one or more false teeth, but if you need all your teeth replaced you need minimum six implants in your upper jaw and around four to six implants along the lower jaw. It is also important to know that just like other dental procedures dental implants require healthy gums, so those who smoke and drinks alcohol or patients who have medical conditions like osteoporosis, diabetes or have undergone radiation treatments, dental implant may not be a good option since these conditions can affect the outcome of the treatment.
During the initial consultation the dentist may take an X-ray or CT scan of your mouth to determine the thickness of the jawbone to see if it can support dental implants or if you need to have bone grafting prior to having dental implants and check the position of the other structures inside your mouth. This is the best time to ask your dentist all the nagging questions you have in your mind especially the risks and benefits involved or find out alternative dental procedures available. You must also inform your dentist of the outcome your want to accomplish and find out the charges involved with the operation. Once all questions are answered then the next thing to do is schedule a date for the actual surgery.
On the day of the surgery prior to anything being done, your dentist would first give you a local anesthesia with sedative to block the pain during the surgery and help you relax at the same time. Once the anesthetic has taken effect, the dentist will make a small incision in your gum then drill a small hole in the jawbone and fit the implant into the hole; although if you have a natural tooth that needs to be extracted before the implant your dentist might be able to extract your tooth on the day of the surgery and place the implant directly into the tooth socket – this process is called an immediate implant. If it took months from the time a tooth is removed from your mouth until an implant is inserted, the process is then called delayed implant.
Take note that immediate and delayed implants may be done in one or two stages. With a single-stage implant 
treatment, the placement of implant rod and abutment (extension post connecting the rod to the false teeth) are fitted at the same time. A two-stage implant treatment requires that the titanium implant rod is imbedded in the gum and wait until the bone heals for months before another operation is done to attach the abutment to the implant.
A few hours after the operation when the anesthetic has worn off, you will feel some pain and discomfort which is normal considering you had an invasive procedure done in your mouth but don’t worry your dentist can prescribe pain-relief medicines to help you while recovering. During recovery make sure that you only eat soft food, keep your mouth clean to avoid any possible infection and follow your dentist’s advice. Once you are fully recovered, your implants and replacement teeth will look and function like natural teeth so any pain or discomfort you may have undergone is well-worth it.
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There is a lot of information to digest when it comes to preparing for your dental vacation to Costa Rica. Entry requirements to Costa Rica, how to find a dentist or dental clinic, what to expect for your specific procedure ( dental implants, porcelain veneers, crowns and bridges, full mouth restorations and much more) and so much more.
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