After Dental Implant Surgery
Do not disturb the wound. Avoid rinsing, spitting, or touching the wound on the day of dental implant surgery. There’ll be a metal healing abutment protruding through the gingival (gum) tissue. Bleeding Some bleeding or redness in the saliva is normal for twenty-four hours. Excessive bleeding may be controlled by biting on a gauze pad placed directly on the bleeding wound for the half-hour. If bleeding continues please call immediately for more instructions. Swelling Swelling is a normal occurrence after surgery. To reduce swelling, apply a plastic bag or an ice bag or towel filled with ice on the cheek in the area of surgery. Apply the ice continuously, as much as possible, for the first thirty-six hours. Dealing With Pain You should begin taking pain medication as soon as you feel the local anesthetic wearing off. Any over-the-counter pain medication can be taken (e.g., Tylenol®, Aleve®, ibuprofen, etc.). Don’t take any of the above medication if you’re allergic, or have been instructed by your doctor not to take it. Diet Drink lots of fluids. Avoid hot liquids or food. Liquids and soft food should be eaten on the day of surgery. Return to a normal diet as soon as you feel capable of doing so. Smoking Smoking after dental implant surgery has an increased risk of infection that also increases the
chance of dental implants failing to integrate. Don’t smoke for a minimum of 2 weeks after dental implant surgery. Antibiotics Be sure to take the prescribed antibiotics as directed to help prevent infection. Oral Hygiene Good oral hygiene is important to good healing. The night of surgery, use the prescribed Peridex Oral Rinse before bed. The day after dental implant surgery, the Peridex should be used twice daily, after breakfast & before bed. make sure to rinse for at least thirty seconds then spit it out. Warm salt water rinses should be used at least 4-5 times every day, as well, particularly after meals. Brushing your teeth and the healing abutments is no problem. Be gentle initially with brushing the surgical areas. Physical Activity Keep physical activities to a minimum instantly following dental implant surgery. If you’re considering exercise, throbbing or bleeding may occur. If this happens, you should discontinue exercising. keep in mind that you are probably not taking normal nourishment. This might weaken you and further limit your ability to exercise. Wearing your prosthesis Partial dentures, flippers, or full dentures are usually in place before surgery or delivered after surgery. The surgeon carefully “relieves” the prosthesis in order to make sure no pressure around the surgery site. Now after surgery, the prosthesis should be considered your “show teeth” and only worn in social situations. Otherwise, don’t wear the prosthesis for ten days after surgery. We’ve placed lots of resources into giving you back a gorgeous smile — please be judicious during this critical postoperative period. Contact us for any queries.