Dental implants and diving

[lowlysubaruguy]

im in the final stages of having a dental implant and crown installed the temporary tooth was placed three weeks ago. This week they pulled that tooth did some imaging and reinstalled it none of which was intense. No shots or anything violent. However I now have some sinus pressure and light pain in that area along with some tension in my teeth and jaw. Mind you this was not there the first couple of weeks that temporary was in. Its new.

More to this story it’s the left rear top jaw what is the third tooth forward. It required a bone graft and sinus lift prior to the implant placement all of who was done almost a year ago. Which has me concerned something happened to the bone graft or sinus cavity from the removal and reinstalling of the temporary tooth Everything looked and felt fine until they removed the temporary this week for images. The tooth has a great fit floss pulls through it like a normal tooth and it’s not hitting anything so I do not thing the fit is the cause.

I’m hoping he just bruised something but the event was simple the tooth came off and went back on easy. I know right now I could not dive if I wanted to. Has anyone been through this that knows. If it continues very long or gets worse I plan to call him. Also my gums are fine no pain or inflammation so it’s not like he damaged them. Maybe my jaw is just sore from being spread open for the imaging but I’ve been through much worse. My real concern is that I am About to book my next two dive trips and was thinking the week before or after thanksgiving for one of them.

Thanks in advance Andy

 

[Searcaigh]

I have one implant, however it did not require any bone graft, and I've been diving with this for several years.

I don't recall any issues when I had mine done, but I'd definitely try some local diving before booking anything.

 

[ibj40]

I have multiple crowns, and two total tooth replacements with bone grafts and posts.

I have had refits in the past where even though the initial temporary crown fit perfectly initially, when replaced with the permanent, it just didn't sit the same as the temporary, and have gone back and had it refit a second time. Each time the dentist has found just a slight difference in the shaping or placement of the tooth that while allowing it to sit similar, the fit was not identical. This would be my first suggestion, to go back and have them see if it was reset properly.

Additionally, my other concern would be if there is an air pocket between your permanent crown and the post that is causing the pressure that you mention, or even an abscess in the graft area. One would hope that X-rays and imaging would disclose that.

 

[aviator8]

im in the final stages of having a dental implant and crown installed the temporary tooth was placed three weeks ago. This week they pulled that tooth did some imaging and reinstalled it none of which was intense. No shots or anything violent. However I now have some sinus pressure and light pain in that area along with some tension in my teeth and jaw. Mind you this was not there the first couple of weeks that temporary was in. Its new.

More to this story it’s the left rear top jaw what is the third tooth forward. It required a bone graft and sinus lift prior to the implant placement all of who was done almost a year ago. Which has me concerned something happened to the bone graft or sinus cavity from the removal and reinstalling of the temporary tooth Everything looked and felt fine until they removed the temporary this week for images. The tooth has a great fit floss pulls through it like a normal tooth and it’s not hitting anything so I do not thing the fit is the cause.

I’m hoping he just bruised something but the event was simple the tooth came off and went back on easy. I know right now I could not dive if I wanted to. Has anyone been through this that knows. If it continues very long or gets worse I plan to call him. Also my gums are fine no pain or inflammation so it’s not like he damaged them. Maybe my jaw is just sore from being spread open for the imaging but I’ve been through much worse. My real concern is that I am About to book my next two dive trips and was thinking the week before or after thanksgiving for one of them.

Thanks in advance Andy

I have a few crowns, one implant from 20 or so years ago, and I am doing the exact procedure you are doing on a rear upper tooth now. In fact, tomorrow I go to get the abutment installed and an impression taken and in a week or two it will finally all be done! I personally have had no issues diving after the extraction, sinus lift, bone graft, or post installation. Keep in mind that the upper rear teeth come very close to the sinus cavities. The fact that they did a bone graft and sinus lift says that you had minimal bone to place the post into, and they are adding bone and lifting the sinus membrane up to give the bone graft a chance to fill that area in and create depth for the post. I did not experience pain with this but I did notice that when breathing through my nose on that side, particularly with cold air I had increased sensitivity around the site. They slightly changed the shape and size of the sinus cavity and thus the flow of air through it. I am not sure if the sesnitivity will ever go away. It has not cause me any additional su=sinus issues I did not suffer from before and has not interfered with my diving.

 

[lowlysubaruguy]

Some time in the last day it just cleared up. Must have bruised the area around the implant or something when they were tinkering with the temporary which really wasn’t very invasive at all they removed it and installed it a couple times took a few images and sent alll the info of for the real crown to be made. Hopefully I get my crown installed and everything is good before my next trip.

 

[Pedro Burrito]

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[aviator8]

Some time in the last day it just cleared up. Must have bruised the area around the implant or something when they were tinkering with the temporary which really wasn’t very invasive at all they removed it and installed it a couple times took a few images and sent alll the info of for the real crown to be made. Hopefully I get my crown installed and everything is good before my next trip.

I just did the same yesterday. I will get the permanent in a few weeks. Best of luck, this process take waaaaay to long, but I will be glad when it is done.

 

[KathyV]

My husband just had the first phase of work done for dental implants and I was wondering if he should wait until the process is completed before diving? Could the regulator mouthpiece cause problems before the implant process is finalized?

 

[Bruce Young]

All good comments; however, number 1 and most important is to contact the Dentist immediately to prevent or alleviate any further potential complications. This is not something you need ongoing (pain/discomfort) and could potentially delay the healing process (ie vasc/neuro endings) in itself. Number 2, I would not descend into the blue until the "sinus syndrome" has been rectified. The bone graft should be completely stabilized with vascularization and surrounding new cellular growth ( bone density?). Question: is the tissue sensitive (touch/hot/cold/biting) surrounding the implant itself? As noted above from others, X-ray/imaging imperative! Knowing the bone density where the grafting was completed is important as this relates to structural integrity for the implant itself.
The bite; yes this will be changed every-time there is dental work (temps/perm implants). Again, as noted from previous comments this process takes time to heal sometimes 4-6 months for solid bone in most cases. Initial recovery period is only 2-3 weeks at most; if complications are experienced during this time...now is the time to seek further expert or orthodontist expertise.
I can tell you from personal experience (hockey player) I have had a few implants and dental bone grafting without sedation but Lidocaine injections. I have ZERO issues diving to date but do wish I could place my mouth-guard into my reg mouthpiece! LOL

 

[ibj40]

My husband just had the first phase of work done for dental implants and I was wondering if he should wait until the process is completed before diving? Could the regulator mouthpiece cause problems before the implant process is finalized?

When you say "the first phase", is that installation of the posts?

My procedure was elongated due to a required bone graft (and the healing period), installation of the post into the grafted area (and the observation period to see if everything would set), then the fitting of a temporary, and finally the fitting of a final.

I could not dive during the graft healing or the post setting, due to concerns over getting sea water in my mouth, and had nothing to do with the mouthpiece.