Did you know that dentists in the United States place around 500,000 implants every year? If you have an appointment coming up for dental implants and are wondering what the best post dental implant care is, you are in the right place.
Keep reading for our top tips on dental implant aftercare.
1. Eating and Drinking
Make sure that you only eat soft foods and avoid hot liquids for a few days after the dental implant surgery. Also, try to avoid spicy foods to avoid ruining the surgery. You should be able to return to a normal diet after about 3-4 days.
Just make sure that you avoid biting down on any hard foods where the implant was placed until it is fully healed. With the high price of dental implants cost the last thing you want to do is ruining your teeth because of not being careful in your food choices.
2. Swelling and Discomfort
You will experience some swelling, discomfort, and bleeding for a few hours and even days after the implant surgery. If you have a lot of bleeding we recommend biting down on the gauze or sponges the surgeon puts inside your mouth. It is also normal to see red saliva after the procedure but if the bleeding persists make sure that you contact your oral surgeon.
Over the counter pain relievers can help with swelling and discomfort. If your pain is too much to handle then you can ask for prescription pain medication because it is a bit stronger. Ice packs can also help control the swelling in your mouth.
Keep in mind that sometimes you will also have antibiotics to prevent the risk of infection. If you are prescribed any antibiotics you have to finish the entire dose even after you start feeling better.
3. Soft Brush
Get a soft nylon toothbrush before your dental implant surgery because this will be more gentle on your implants. Nylon toothbrushes have bristles that are pliable and won’t hurt your gums or teeth. The key is to avoid using any toothbrushes that have hard bristles because they will scratch the surface of the implants.
4. No Alcohol or Smoking
Your dental implants will take around 6 months to heal so you want to avoid smoking at all during this time. Smoking can ruin the new teeth and slow down your healing process as well. Alcohol is something else that slows down the healing of dental implants so try to limit the alcohol intake during the first six months after your surgery.
Feeling Like a Post Dental Implant Care Pro?
We hope that now that you have our top post dental implant care tips, you can make sure that you take care of your implants and do not end up ruining the dental work you receive.
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