Getting a dental implant is a handy procedure as it solves various dental problems reasonably quickly. For example, if you have a cracked or broken tooth, a dental implant should take care of it.
However, since implants have a rather negative connotation to the public, many people tend to get anxious before the day of the procedure. But you’ll find that it’s relatively painless. What comes after that is usually the problem.
Also, the dental implants cost can vary depending on several factors such as the location, the complexity of the procedure, the type of implant used, and the dentist’s experience.
For one, the implant may bleed a bit and get sore during the first few days after the surgery. Furthermore, the implants may end up doing more harm than good if you’re not careful in treating them. That’s why you shouldn’t slack off with its aftercare.
What Is Aftercare?
Aftercare refers to the changes you adopt to ensure that any injury surgery may have caused recovers properly and quickly. In the case of dental implants, it’s quite significant.
With proper aftercare, you can minimize the pain you feel throughout the recovery. Experts also believe that aftercare can prolong the lifespan of dental implants. You might want to look into Aria Dental’s take on this subject as they explain it in detail.
Nevertheless, you must take care of your dental implants with these eight tips:
- Relieve Pain With Ice Packs
As stated earlier, the area around the dental implant is likely to swell. If it doesn’t, you’ll still feel pain in it, so you have to prepare a way to relieve the pain as it may hinder your work or chores.
One of the best ways of doing that is through ice packs or cold compress. Placing these on your cheeks should work like a charm. Buying medications is also an option.
- Take The Prescribed Antibiotics
Medical practitioners often advise their patients to take antibiotics after surgery as it can go a long way in preventing wound infections. But take note that taking antibiotics in excessive doses isn’t a good idea, so stick to the dosage that your dentist recommended.
Antibiotics also increase the success chance of dental implants since there are cases when these types of surgeries fail due to excessive trauma and infection.
- Stay Hydrated During The Recovery Process
Water helps thin the blood, which allows the body to move nutrients, including those that repair cells through different parts of your body.
For that reason, it’s advisable to stay hydrated during the recovery process, so you can speed up your recovery by allowing cell-repairing nutrients to arrive at your gums and teeth.
- Stop Smoking Or Drinking For A While
On the contrary, smoking or drinking may slow down your recovery process by inhibiting your blood vessels, which is the opposite of what water does to the body. So, naturally, you’d want to avoid these two activities until the area around your dental implant fully recovers.
- Be Extra Gentle When Brushing And Flossing
Some say that you shouldn’t brush or floss right after the surgery, but that’s not entirely true. In reality, it’s advisable to brush the teeth or clean them in some way within the same day of surgery, but not right after.
This is because cleaning will reduce the chances of infection, much like what antibiotics do. However, remember to be extra gentle and only do it around the area of the dental implant, not at its exact spot.
That also means you shouldn’t rinse after brushing or flossing because rinsing is practically the same as touching the wound, which may disturb the tissues and mess with recovery.
You can rinse the next day, but you should do so using warm saltwater. Saltwater consists of sodium chloride, a substance known to force bacterial liquids, which helps in cleansing the area around the dental implants and promote healing.
- Adjust Your Diet Accordingly
During the first few days after the surgery, which should be around three to four days, you must adjust your diet accordingly. To be precise, you must stick to soft foods to minimize the pressure put into your dental implants.
You should also avoid spicy foods and liquids as these can be painful and detrimental to the tissues around the dental implants.
- Avoid Biting Down Using The Dental Implant
During the recovery process, you’d want to avoid putting pressure on your dental implants. That’s why a change in diet was necessary in the first place.
But you must also avoid biting down using the dental implant as it may put unnecessary pressure on the implants. Dentists suggest not using the implants at all during the first week after the surgery.
- Clean The Area Around The Implant
Not only should you clean the area around the implant right after surgery, but you must also do it after every few days. You can use a Q-tip to pull it off, partnered with an appropriate cleaning solution.
Final Words
During the surgery for dental implants, you usually shouldn’t feel a thing. But when the effects of anesthetics wear off, that’s when the pain will hit you. While it’s true that there’s no getting around this issue, you can at least minimize the pain with proper aftercare.
Besides, proper aftercare is crucial to help with the success of the surgery anyway. With that said, this article should come in quite handy if you’re not sure how to start with the process.
