Recovering After Dental Implant Surgery
After you’ve had dental implants, expect to deal with recovery time that varies from person to person. Firstly, your local anesthetic effects will wear off in a few hours, you will experience some swelling, discomfort and sometimes bruising that will subside in a matter of a few days after medication. Do not disturb the site of surgery on the first day, or rinse vigorously, or probe it with any object. Do brush, but gently, especially around the site. If there is minimal bleeding, have saltwater rinses 24 hours after the surgery.
For swelling, apply a cold pack on the cheek close to the site 20 minutes on and off on the first 24 hours. The first 2 days will be the most uncomfortable though you’d feel better after even if there still be swelling. You can go back to your normal daily routine in about a week to 10 days, though a soft diet may be prescribed, in some cases, for the next 4 to 6 weeks if work has been extensive.
Other things you can expect, for which your dentist should have given notice and advice, are discoloration of the gum area, sharp edges from bony walls of extracted teeth, dry lips, sore throat , and stiff jaw muscles.
Your lifestyle can impact the healing process positively or negatively. It can be delayed or impaired if you smoke, indulge in excessive alcohol consumption, have poor diet and eating habits, and neglect proper oral hygiene. You are still healing from the surgery and your gums are susceptible to bacterial attack at this time. Nonetheless, your dentist and hygienist must have well advised you in the proper care of your implants.
In the meantime, your implants will continue to bond or fuse with bone. Loading the crown or bridgework onto the implants can be performed anytime between 2 to 6 months after implant placement. When it can be accomplished will depend on the individual case, the quality of patient bone, number of teeth involved, and whether or not grafting was done.
Post-Care for Dental Implants at Bellevue
We at Overlake Dental understand the discomfort of recovery from surgery that involves implants. Rest assure that our experience and expertise on this delicate surgery and its post-operative care and management are one of the most conscientious in corrective dentistry in Bellevue.
References
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