I had in infected tooth that was extracted. Now they want to put in a dental implant. How long should I wait to make sure all the infection is out of the bone, before placing the implant?
Sandra W.
Sandra,
When your tooth was extracted, that eliminated the source of your infection. Your bodies natural defenses are able to quickly deal with any infection in your bone. Plus, the drainage opening left from your missing tooth into your bone helps also. There is rarely any residual problems from infection after a routine extraction.
If you’re extraction had been an impacted wisdom tooth, that would be a different story. The infection wouldn’t have been in the tooth itself, but between the tooth and the gum. As a result, your dentist would have probably prescribed antibiotics to go along with the extraction to deal with any residual infection.
All that to say, if your dentist sees no issues, then you are fine to get your dental implants placed.
This blog is brought to you by Oklahoma City Dentist Dr. Don Swearingen.