Aftercare For Dental Implants

Dentist Blog

You will undoubtedly leave your dental office with some post-surgery instructions, but it might help to know what to expect ahead of time. Dental implants have been performed for years with great success, and many people only regret they waited so long to have them installed. Read on for a primer on what to expect after dental implant surgery and how to care for your mouth as it heals.

What to Know About Bleeding

You can expect to see some blood in your saliva, but it should be only a small amount. Unfortunately, even a bit of blood can look alarming when mixed with saliva. To help you deal with the minor bleeding, your dentist will probably have your bite down gently on a piece of soft gauze and apply continuous pressure. It's important for the blood to clot, so you may need to keep biting down on the gauze for quite a long time. Your dentist will tell you how long to bite down. Applying continuous pressure to the implant area for up to an hour at a time may be needed. This procedure should be repeated as necessary for a couple of days; after this time period, most patients will notice the bleeding tapering off to nothing.

What to Know About Pain

You are very likely to leave the dental office with a prescription for pain medication. Once the numbing at the implant site wears off, you may experience a bit of discomfort. If the pain is unbearable, however, that is not normal, so you should phone your dentist right away. Be sure to follow the directions for using the pain medication very carefully. You might want to set up a reminder with Alexa or Google to tell you when it's time for another dose. You may also be instructed to take over-the-counter pain relievers in conjunction with the prescribed meds. For example, you may have been prescribed medication for a couple of days before switching to acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

Tips for Dealing With Your New Implant

1. It's common to be prescribed antibiotics and to be told to rinse your mouth gently with mouthwash after a procedure. Infections are rare and easily preventable.
2. Most dentists advise patients to brush and floss gently around the implant for the first day or so.
3. Avoid hot foods for a few days and stick to soft foods like soup, pasta, ice cream, smoothies, and shakes. It's the best excuse for eating ice cream! It's a good idea to supply yourself with some soft foods prior to the surgery.
4. Ice packs or frozen veggies can help with both pain control and any swelling around the implant site.

After your implant surgery, it's important to follow your dentist's directions and take things easy for a while. You are sure to emerge with a beautiful smile.

For more information, contact a dental clinic like Pfeiffer Family Dentistry.

Share

28 June 2019