After your dental implant surgery, your mouth will be busy healing, and your jawbone will be busy integrating with your implant posts. While this means you’ll be able to enjoy superior stability and power later, during your recovery, there are certain things you should do – and not do! – if you want the process to go smoothly. Keep reading to learn more.
Protect Your Blood Clot at All Costs!
The biggest (and potentially most painful) complication that could occur during this time is a dislodged blood clot. True, a blood clot is not always something you want. In the case of your dental implant post-op, though, this is how your body protects the treatment site; by blocking bacteria and external sensations with a clot. It’s crucial for your recovery, so you should take care not to dislodge it.
Continue to Brush and Floss
That means you’ll have to be cautious and gentle when you brush and floss. You should definitely continue to look after your oral hygiene, though! Mitigating bacteria growth is just as important (if not more) at this stage as it is normally.
Another thing you should be careful with is rinsing. Don’t use any mouthwash with alcohol, and don’t spit. Instead, let the water or cleaner waterfall out of your mouth. This will help you avoid dislodging your blood clot!
Rest, Relax, and Avoid Strenuous Activity
Most of the time, regular workouts are impressive and applause-worthy. During your dental implant recovery, though, you risk increasing your blood flow and, as a result, bleeding excessively from your treatment site. Get some well-deserved rest instead and take it as an opportunity to catch up on your favorite shows.
Watch What You Ingest
Ultimately, your new dental implants will allow you to eat pretty much anything you want. Until you’ve healed and until your implants are properly integrated with your jawbone, however, it’s better to stick to a soft food, alcohol- and tobacco-free diet. Your dentist can tell you when you can start introducing harder foods, but hang tight in the meantime and keep your eye on the prize.
Listen to Your Dentist
Sounds simple, right? Your dentist might instruct you to adhere to some fairly bizarre rules during your dental implant recovery – like avoiding certain foods. Remember that you can always ask for their reasoning if something doesn’t make sense, but it’s usually best to do as they say. They’re the professionals after all, and have gone through years of schooling and continuing education so they can provide you with the best care possible. Trust in their knowledge, and your smile will thank you later!
About the Author
Dr. Christian A. Pham has completed multiple advanced training courses, including the prestigious Progressive Orthodontics and Dentistry Group’s dental implantology program. The Consumers’ Research Council of America has also recognized Dr. Pham as one of America’s Top Dentists, an honor that he’s both proud of and grateful for.
Basically, with Dr. Pham’s experience, skills, and friendly nature, you’ll be able to feel comfortable and confident with your dental implant treatment! To contact his office with questions or concerns about your post-op recovery or other dental matters, call 210-538-7500.