Tips for Dental Implant Recovery and Aftercare

If you have a missing tooth, a dental implant is one of the most effective tooth replacement options. Dental implants offer natural-looking, beautiful, and fully-functional teeth that are similar to natural teeth. But when you get dental implants, you need to take care of your existing and new teeth to prevent future problems. 

Unfortunately, taking care of your teeth may be the last thing on your mind immediately after getting a dental implant. However, it is important to understand the importance of proper aftercare. It can have a huge impact on the success of your procedure. 

 

What Is Dental Implant Surgery?

Patients undergo this procedure to replace tooth roots with metal posts. The dentist then replaces missing or damaged teeth with artificial ones that function and look like real teeth. Dental implant surgery offers an alternative to bridgework or dentures that do not fit well. It can also offer an option when building bridgework or dentures is impossible due to a lack of natural teeth roots. 

Your dental implant surgery will depend on the jawbone’s condition and the type of implant. Surgery may involve several procedures. The main benefit of a dental implant is solid support for new teeth, which requires tight healing of the bone around the dental implant. 

 

Recovery

Whether your implant surgery involved one stage or several stages, you may experience some discomforts. However, this is normal with any type of surgical dental procedure. Some of the discomforts you may experience include:
 

• Minor bleeding.
• Swelling of your face and gums.
• Pain at the implant site.
• Bruising of your gums and skin.

Those considering getting a dental implant often wonder how long it typically takes to recover. Some of the factors that could affect your recovery time include:
 

• The number of teeth extracted and implanted.
• Individual healing time and differences.
• Whether the procedure requires bone grafting.
• Whether your bone is healthy enough for the implants.

There is no set time for all dental implant patients. Each patient has unique oral conditions, which can affect the procedure and recovery time. Also, your lifestyle choices and tolerance may have a huge impact on your healing time. 

So if you are a smoker, you should avoid or minimize your smoking for at least two weeks after the procedure. Smoking could increase your recovery time or cause complications, especially if your procedure involved bone grafting. 

 

Aftercare Tips

Some of the steps you can take to speed up your recovery process after dental implant surgery include:

 

Avoid Irritating the Implant

Following surgery, you should leave the implant alone. Avoid doing anything that could irritate it, such as touching the implant. You should also avoid rinsing your mouth with mouthwash immediately after the procedure. 

 

Consume Only Fluids and Soft Foods

For the first few days after surgery, you should avoid any foods that involve chewing. Instead, stick to liquids such as soups and soft foods like yogurt. 

 

Maintain Good Oral Hygiene

For the first few days after surgery, you should avoid using mouthwash or toothpaste. Instead, clean your mouth after every meal using a warm saltwater solution. Once the implant area heals a bit, you can resume your regular oral hygiene routine. However, take extra care when brushing close to the healing cap.

For more on dental implant recovery and aftercare, visit kksmiles at our office in Marietta, Georgia. You can call 770-830-3700 today to schedule an appointment.