Dental implant surgery can provide a nice solution to dentures that don’t fit well and can provide an opportunity where a lack of natural teeth roots prevents tooth replacements to be installed.
Healing won’t happen immediately. It requires self-discipline, good oral hygiene and adhering to your specialist’s instructions.
Here’s what to expect regarding the healing of dental implants and a few tips to guarantee that you recover as quickly as possible.
1. Follow Instructions
At first, your dentist might warn you to stop brushing and using mouthwash because at this stage, your mouth might be too sensitive to normal oral hygiene.
Your dentist may advise you not to brush the tender area but to clean your other teeth as you would usually do. You may have to rinse your mouth with warm saltwater.
2. Take Your Medication
Your doctor should typically administer antibiotics and pain relievers following the surgery to reduce discomfort and swelling during healing. Medicine can help to relieve the ache and avoid infections that may cause complications.
It is necessary that you take any antibiotics and pain medication that are prescribed and follow all necessary guidelines and instructions. If you feel the pain medication dosage is too strong, or you do not need the medication at all, please contact your prosthodontist before changing your medication.
3. Rest Well
You will probably rest for the first 2-3 days, but that will depend on the extent or duration of your operation.
Many patients with one or a few basic implants would potentially be able to return to work the next day. Others may require some more time to heal.
Avoid vigorous workouts or other cardio activities that can increase your blood pressure and heart rate. In most cases, the initial recuperation doesn’t exceed 2-3 days.
4. Don’t Smoke or Drink Alcohol
Smoking or chewing tobacco cannot lead to serious health issues you don’t want, but can also cause problems during the recovery cycle.
Smoking potentially hinders the recovery cycle, as you don’t give your body enough oxygen to recover properly throughout the healing time.
When you smoke with complete dental implants after a procedure, you risk slowing down the recovery and prolonging the healing cycle. Smoking can also discolour the implants and affect the gum that grows around the implants. These are the reasons why the experts at osstem.co.nz advocates quitting smoking altogether.
Similarly, alcohol will destroy your curative tissue and hinder your healing potential. Following the surgery, it is safe to stop drinking for at least two weeks.
5. Eat Nourishing Food
Eat some nourishing meal you can easily manage. Remove food that is very dry. The first two days after surgery you should also not use a straw.
Confining the first-day diet to liquids or pureed foods such as puddings, soft cereal, soups, milkshakes, and so on is often recommended, though not always required.
Avoid chewing foods before your tongue control has recovered. You can improve slowly on solid foods over the next few days. And do not miss meals!
You will also sleep better, recover quicker, develop energy, and experience less pain if you take supplements daily.
6. Use a Cold Compress
After dental surgery, it is common to have swelling. A cool compress helps to prevent inflammation and ease recovery.
Add ice to the swelling region for 15 minutes, stop for another 15 minutes and then try again. For the first two days, post-op, using a cold compress or dentist-prescribed medicine to relieve inflammation and swelling is recommended.
7. Exercise Patience
Dental implants aren’t a fast cure to damaged teeth and it will take up to nine months to complete the healing process.
The reason for this is that there has to be osseointegration, which is where the bone and soft tissues surrounding the implant post gradually join together to create a solid base that can hold a dental device such as a dental crown, bridge, or denture.
In Conclusion
Implants are a safe procedure which is well known. It’s probably fair to say that the implants will last as long as you care about them, just like your natural teeth.
Your oral surgeon should give advice on how to take care of yourself when your mouth and gums are recovering once you have your dental implants installed.
Make sure to attend all of your post-surgery appointments, during which the surgeon or dentist can determine your recovery and your implant operation success.