Tips For Recovery After Dental Implant Surgery

Posted on: 20 December 2017

If you're getting ready to undergo surgery for dental implants, you need to be sure that you're prepared for the recovery period. Your oral surgeon will provide you with a series of aftercare instructions to guide you, but it's in your best interest to be ready before you go in. Here are a few tips that will help you to get through the first few days after your surgery.

Expect Swelling

In the first two days after your surgical procedure, you'll experience some swelling in your mouth. By the end of the second day, it should reach the worst that it will become. You can keep some of the swelling at bay and manage your discomfort by icing the jaw. Wrap an ice pack in a towel and apply it directly to the outside of your jaw where the swelling is occurring. You can leave it on for fifteen to twenty minutes, then take it off for at least as long before repeating the process. After the first day, swap the ice for heat. This will help keep the swelling down some and will ease pain.

Don't Disturb The Area

Be careful about any kind of contact with the surgical area. Don't put your fingers in your mouth or pull your lip away to look at the jaw, either. This can disturb the stitches, which may actually hinder the healing process. You should also avoid using straws for the first few days, because this can actually lead to more bleeding, which will hinder healing, too.

Brushing your teeth should wait until at least the day after surgery, and when you do start brushing, you need to be very careful about disturbing the area where the implant was placed. Just don't skip brushing, because you need to keep your mouth clean to reduce the risk of infection.

Rinse With Salt Water

Carefully rinse your mouth with a warm mixture of salt water every couple of hours for the first few days following your surgery. Then, rinse twice a day or so for the next couple of weeks until the surgical site has fully healed.

Plan For Down Time

You'll be encouraged to minimize your physical activity for the first couple of days after the surgery. Too much physical activity could dislodge blood clots or cause more intense bleeding in your mouth. After the first few days, you can start with light activity, but don't strain yourself.

Contact a clinic, like Central PA Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons LLC, for more help.

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