What are the first 72 hours after full-arch implant surgery like?

Surgery day

We start with a panoramic X-ray and some before photos from a few angles, using cheek retractors. You'll see a lot of those retractors this week. Then it's on to surgery.

Very few people want their old smile back. Fewer than one in twenty. The photos help us with the things you'd notice if they were missing, like how your lips sit and how full your face looks. Later in the week, if you're trying to describe a shape you half remember, we can look back at them together.

If you have an old photo of your smile from years ago, please bring it. Your own natural smile usually suits your face best, and we'd love to build on it.

The day after: your first set of teeth

We start with a numbing gel. Everyone gets it the first time. After that it's up to you, and some people skip it so they can feel their bite better.

The healing caps come off and your first prototype goes in.

It won't be the color of your final teeth, and that surprises almost everyone. Every prototype is printed in one standard shade, neither yellow nor bright white. The printer holds one resin color at a time, and switching it for each patient isn't practical.

We like it that way, because the neutral shade makes your real teeth look even better when they arrive. One patient told us it was the one thing he wished he'd known ahead of time, and he loved his result. So now you know.

You pick your shade at the end.

What people say on day two

"Do my gums look okay?" They almost always do. Gums heal faster than people expect. A clot forms over each site quickly and acts like a natural bandage.

"I'm biting harder on one side." Very common. That's what the week is for.

"Is this the color?" No. See above.

We get the bite and the comfort right first, then the looks. Once the bite is right, the looks are easy to adjust. It's like deciding where the furniture goes before you paint.

Your speech will sound different for a day or two

Your S sounds will be soft, maybe with a little whistle. That's normal and it passes. It also tells us a lot.

Different sounds check different things. M needs your lips to meet, so it shows us whether the height is right. F and V use your lower lip against your upper teeth, so they show whether the upper teeth sit in the right place. S and T use your tongue against the upper teeth, and a whistle means air is slipping out somewhere.

So when we ask you to say a few words, we're finding what to fix. It isn't a test.

With the older conversion-denture method this was a daily struggle, because there was too much material in the way of the tongue. Now it's usually sorted by the second try-in.

Little things to know

Bring lip balm. Your mouth is open a long time and your lips get dry. We have petroleum jelly, but bring one you like.

Your jaw will ache, mostly from holding your mouth open, not from the surgery itself. It settles.

You'll bite your cheek. If you've been without back teeth for a while, your jaw has to relearn where everything is. It passes.

Eat soft food, not liquids. Scrambled eggs the morning after is perfect. A little chewing helps your jaw relearn the movement and shows you what to tell us.

Your face may look a little different for a while. Swelling changes how your lips and cheeks sit. Tell us what you notice. That's what the before photos are for.

If you wore a denture for many years, you may be used to it filling out your lips. Teeth can only do so much there and still be comfortable and easy to clean. Some people choose dermal filler afterward for lip or cheek support. We don't offer it and you don't need it, but it's an option.

Your aftercare instructions

Before you leave, your team gives you a written sheet made for your case. It covers medication, swelling, what to do and when to call us.

This page tells you what the days feel like. The sheet is what you follow. If they ever seem to disagree, go with the sheet.

How to think about the week

Nothing you're wearing this week is final. If you don't like something, just tell us.

With older methods, you got one set of teeth and might not be seen again for months, and by then nothing could be changed.

Here, you come back tomorrow. Tell us what's wrong, and we change it.