After Placement of Dental Implants

Do not disturb the wound. Avoid rinsing, spitting, or touching the wound on the day of surgery. There may be a metal healing abutment protruding through the gingival (gum) tissue.

Bleeding

Some bleeding or redness in the saliva is normal for 24 hours. Excessive bleeding (your mouth fills up rapidly with blood) can be controlled by biting on a gauze pad placed directly on the bleeding wound for 30 minutes. Tea bags have natural chemicals that help the scab set and can be substituted for gauze. If bleeding continues please call for further instructions.

Swelling

Many types of implant procedures do not cause swelling. Dr. Simmons will let you know if swelling is expected following surgery. To minimize swelling, apply an ice bag, or a plastic bag, or towel filled with ice on the cheek in the area of surgery. Apply the ice continuously, as much as possible, for the first48 hours. After this time period, no further swelling from surgery should occur and ice will not be helpful. Switching from ice to a warm compress on the third day following surgery will aid the healing process and help soothe the jaw muscles.

Diet

Because people are different, a list of what to eat or drink will not be helpful. The idea is to enjoy a variety of food and drink while staying comfortable. Immediately following surgery, your mouth may be numb so avoid hot liquids or food that may burn your mouth. Begin with soft foods or ones that can be blended or cut into small pieces which will limit the amount of chewing necessary.Slowly advance your diet day by day trying different foods to see what works. Return to a normal diet as soon as possible unless otherwise directed.

Pain

You should begin taking pain medication prior to the local anesthetic wearing off which usually occurs 2-3 hours after surgery. For moderate pain, 1 or 2 Tylenol or Extra Strength Tylenol may be taken every 3-4 hours. Ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) or Aleve may be taken instead of Tylenol. The nice thing about Aleve is that it only has to be given every 12 hours to maintain comfort. Ibuprofen, bought over the counter comes in 200 mg tablets: 2-3 tablets may be taken every6 hours as needed for pain. For severe pain, the prescribed medication should be taken as directed. Do not take any of the above medication if you are allergic, or have been instructed by your doctor not to take it.

Antibiotics

Be sure to take the prescribed antibiotics as directed to help prevent infection. It is important to finish taking the antibiotics until gone even though you may be feeling fine.

Oral Hygiene

Good oral hygiene is essential to good healing. Brushing your teeth and tongue will keep your mouth feeling fresh and clean. Be gentle initially with brushing the surgical areas. If a mouth rinse was prescribed, use the prescribed Peridex Oral Rinse before bed. The day after surgery, the Peridex should be used twice daily, after breakfast and before bed. Be sure to rinse for at least 30 seconds then spit it out. Warm salt water rinses (teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) should be used at least 4-5 times a day, as well, especially after meals.

Activity

Keep physical activities to a minimum immediately following surgery. If you are considering exercise, throbbing or bleeding may occur. If this occurs, you should discontinue exercising. Keep in mind that you are probably not taking normal nourishment. This may weaken you and further limit your ability to exercise.

Wearing your Prosthesis

In most instances, you should be able to wear your denture following surgery unless Dr. Simmons stated otherwise. Your family dentist or prosthodontist will likely need to adjust the fit or reline the appliance in the near future.