Post Op Homecare for Dental Implants
After you have received dental implants, we strongly recommend that you follow these very important guidelines in order to ensure their long-term success.
General Care
Control any minor bleeding you experience with moderate pressure using gauze pads or a clean, moist tea bag wrapped in a gauze pad.
Limit yourself to calm activities for 3-5 days to keep your blood pressure stable and to minimize bleeding.
If you normally wear a removable denture or partial denture, follow any additional instructions we give you about wearing it during the healing process.
Tobacco use
Don't use tobacco products for a minimum of 24 hours. Avoid tobacco as much as possible for several months. Tobacco is the leading cause of dental implant failure because it slows healing and increases the chance that your body will reject the implants.
When to call us
Call us immediately if you experience increased or heavy bleeding, if you have pain or swelling that increases and continues beyond two or three days, or you experience a reaction to the medication.
Call us also if your dental implants gradually show through the gums. We will need to check them at once.
Chewing and eating
Avoid chewing until all numbness has worn off. If we have placed a temporary restoration, avoid chewing for one half-hour in order to allow the temporary cement to set.
For the first 24 hours, drink plenty of liquids and eat soft, nutritious foods. Chew on the opposite side of your mouth.
After the first 24 hours, you can return to your usual diet. However, you should continue to chew on the opposite side of your mouth. Do not eat hot or spicy foods until your gums are healed. We'll evaluate your situation to determine how soon you can chew on the dental implant.
Brushing and flossing
For the first 14 days, gently wipe the dental implant site with gauze or a cotton swab. After that, brush the area gently with a soft toothbrush.
Avoid flossing the area for four weeks. We will evaluate the healing and adjust your brushing and flossing timetable as necessary.
In the meantime, though, brush and floss your other teeth normally.
If we have recommended a mouth rinse, use it as directed.
Medication and discomfort
If any antibiotics or other medicines were prescribed, you should continue to take them for the prescribed period of time. Do not stop taking them even if all symptoms and signs of infection are gone.
To control discomfort, take pain medication before the anesthetic has worn off completely, or as specifically instructed. It's normal to experience some discomfort for several days after surgery.
To reduce discomfort or swelling for the first 24 hours following surgery, use ice packs, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off.
To reduce discomfort after the first 24 hours, apply moist heat.
To further reduce discomfort after the first 24 hours, you can rinse your mouth very gently three times a day with warm salt water. Use about one teaspoon of salt per glass of warm water.
Labels: Dental Implants
posted by Dental Expert at
11:18 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home