Recover From Dental Implant Surgery ASAP With These Tips

Being prepared for dental implant surgery will help you to recover as soon as possible following your procedure. To help promote healing and make your dental implant successful, follow these tips provided by our dental implant experts. 

Tip #1: Find Someone To Drive You Home 

Any dental implant surgery that requires you to be put to sleep during the procedure will require someone else to drive you home. It takes some time for alertness and coordination to return after a procedure. Additionally, it's not uncommon for you to experience minor blurred vision following general anesthesia. For these reasons, it's always recommended that you do not drive or operate machinery for the first 24 hours. Having someone there to drive you home is the first step towards a speedy recovery. 

Tip #2: Help Your Mouth To Produce Blood Clots 

It's typical to experience bleeding from the surgical site following a dental implant placement procedure for up to 48-72 hours. During this rest period, continue to bite down firmly on gauze sponges. Applying slight pressure by biting down on the gauze your doctor placed will help to stop any persistent bleeding. This process also promotes blot clots, so be sure to avoid rinsing, aggravating the sensitive tissue, and promoting bleeding. 

If you have a dental implant placed in the upper jaw, it's not uncommon to experience bleeding from the nose. If this type of bleeding occurs, avoid blowing your bose and encourage clots by applying light pressure to your nose's bridge. 

Tip #3: Don't Ignore Persistent Bleeding 

Bleeding can be more substantial than you may expect after having a dental implant placed. If the bleeding you experience seems excessive or heavy, follow these steps to help promote blood clots and lessen the bleeding:

1. Gently wipe away any large clots from your mouth
2. Take two folded gauze pads and place them over the bleeding site
3. Bite down firmly for one hour without changing the gauze 
4. Repeat the process several times until bleeding lessens

Moistened regular (non-herbal or decaf) tea bags wrapped in gauze can also be used to reduce bleeding. Place the tea bags directly over the area that's bleeding and bite down firmly for one hour. 

Tip #4: Stick With Soft Foods For 24 Hours 

Gauze pads placed by your doctor can be removed one hour after surgery if eating is necessary. For the first 24 hours, be sure only to consume soft foods. Avoid any hot or spicy foods or beverages for several hours after your procedure. 

Tip #5: Help To Minimize Swelling 

Swelling most often occurs as part of the natural healing process, especially after bone grafting procedures. Facial swelling typically increases for approximately 3-4 days after oral surgery. Soon after, the swelling should begin to subside. If you had implants placed on both sides of your mouth, it is not uncommon for one side to be more swollen or uncomfortable. 

Help minimize the amount of swelling, apply a cold pack to the cheek area for a maximum of ten minutes at a time with twenty minutes break between sessions. After 24 hours, gentle heat can be more beneficial in combating swelling and bruising.

Tip #6: Take All Prescribed Antibiotics 

Dental implant surgery requires antibiotics to be taken after your procedure. Antibiotics are used to prevent infection on or around the dental implant or bone graft. You must follow the bottle's directions to ensure proper dosage and continue taking the medication until it is finished. If you should develop a reaction to the antibiotics, such a skin rash, stop taking the medication immediately and consult with your doctor.

Tip #7: Avoid Smoking

Smoking of any kind after oral surgery will interfere with the necessary healing process. It can also increase your chances of developing an infection. Failure of the dental implant or bone grafting procedure is common, and smokers have a higher risk of implant failure than non-smokers.

Tip #8: Schedule Your Follow-Up Appointment 

Your implant provider will likely want to see you three weeks following your implant surgery. After this follow-up exam, the healing torque of the implant will need to be tested, or for the second stage of the procedure to uncover the implant and place the healing abutment if your implant was placed in a two-stage process. 

If you're ready to transform your smile with dental implants, or for more tips on how to quickly recover from dental implant surgery, contact Elite Dental & Denture PC today to schedule an implant consultation appointment.