Post-Dental Implant Surgery

Care Instructions At Home

Oral Facial & Implant Specialists have some care instructions that we recommend our patients follow post-surgeries.

• Do not touch the wound, bite on the area or spit excessively to help minimize overall disturbance to the wound.
• Bleeding or red saliva is normal post-dental implant surgery (and can continue for up to 24 hours). If your mouth fills up with blood excessively, bite down on a piece of gauze (we will provide you with gauzes prior to leaving our practice).
• Please contact our clinic if bleeding is uncontrollable.

Swelling

Swelling is an extremely common side effect following surgery. To minimize swelling, apply an ice bag covered with a towel to the surgical area. It is recommended that you apply ice to the area as much as possible, for up to 36 hours post-surgery. You can apply ice for 20 minutes at a time, then rest the area for another 20 minutes, then re-apply the ice.

Diet

Make sure that you drink plenty of fluids post-surgery; avoid hot liquids, soups and hot foods in general, but soft foods and liquids (such as smoothies, yogurts, ice cream), can be eaten on the day post-surgery. You can start returning to a normal diet as soon as possible, unless otherwise directed by your oral surgeon.

Pain Management

You should start taking pain medication as soon as you feel the local anesthetic wearing off. For moderate to severe pain, our surgeons recommend taking two Ibuprofen (400mg total) every 3-4 hours. Consult our practice for individuals under 18 and avoid taking more than two different types of medications at the same time.

For extremely severe pain and throbbing, the prescribed medication should be taken, as directed. Do not take any of the above medication if you are allergic to them or have been instructed by your surgeon.

It is also recommended that you do not drive an automobile or work around machinery for the first 36 hours after surgery and avoid the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Should pain persist after 36 hours post-surgery, please consult our practice.

Antibiotics

Please take the prescribed antibiotics as directed by your oral surgeon to minimize infection. Our surgeons recommend that you complete the course of antibiotics. We also recomended taking probiotics while on antibiotics.

Oral Hygiene

Practicing good oral hygiene is an essential part of healing the surgical wound. In the evening post surgery, take the prescribed Peridex Oral Rinse prior to sleeping. The next day after surgery, Peridex should be used twice daily; after breakfast and again prior to sleeping; rinse for at least 30 seconds before spitting it out.

Regular warm salt water rinses (one teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) can be used up to 4-5 times a day, particularly after a meal. It is recommended that you continue brushing your teeth and any healing abutments twice a day; but be sure you are gentle with the surgical areas.

Activity

Refrain from any strenuous physical activity (such as cardiovascular routines, hot yoga or swimming and cycling), immediately following surgery for at least 72 hours. Our surgeons recommend that you do light exercise (such as walking and gentle stretching). If you experience any discomfort while walking or stretching, discontinue the exercise.

Wearing your Prosthesis

Refrain from wearing partial dentures, flippers, or full dentures following surgery for at least 10 days, as discussed in the pre-operative consultation with your oral surgeon.

Post-Operative Instructions for Endosteal Implants

Placement of endosteal implants usually does not create a great deal of pain.  You may want to start with an over-the-counter pain reliever first.  We will send you home with a prescription for pain medication, should you need it.

You need to brush the area after the first 24 hours with a very soft toothbrush.  Do not avoid brushing the area.  There may be sutures in the area that will be removed in one week at your postoperative visit.

If a one-stage implant was placed so that you can actually see the metal part protruding from the gum tissue, it is very important for you to keep this area clean.  You may start with a Q-tip dipped in Listerine or even warm salt water.  Just clean the metal part protruding from the tissue.  Then you can proceed to a soft toothbrush.

Avoid chewing hard foods on the implant sites.  Chewing forces during the healing phase can decrease the body’s ability to heal around the implant.

Please feel free to call our office at any time, if you have a question.  We have a 24 hour answering service, which will be happy to reach the doctor on call for you.