Do not disturb the wound. Avoid rinsing, spitting or touching the wound on the day of dental implant surgery. There will be a metal healing abutment protruding minimally through the gum tissue. Follow all dental implant surgery recovery instructions to help the body heal faster. Our oral and maxillofacial surgeons will give you instructions for your dental implant recovery. For questions and concerns please contact the oral pathologists of Wichita OMS.
Some bleeding or redness in the saliva is normal for 24 hours during your dental implants recovery. 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. If bleeding continues, please call for further instructions.
Swelling is a normal occurrence after surgery and during your dental implants recovery. To minimize swelling, apply an ice pack or a plastic bag or towel filled with ice on the cheek in the area of surgery. Apply the ice continuously, as often as possible, for the first 36 hours.
Drink plenty of fluids. Avoid hot liquids or food. Soft food and liquids should be eaten on the day of dental implants. Return to a normal diet as soon as possible unless otherwise directed.
You should begin taking prescribed anti-inflammatory medication (Motrin) as soon as you begin drinking fluids or eating. The local anesthetic will typically stop being effective within hours. Your oral and maxillofacial surgeon may choose to utilize long-duration local anesthetics in specific cases. If so, the duration of anesthesia may be six to eight hours. If you experience severe pain, the prescribed narcotic pain medication should be taken as directed.
Be sure to take the prescribed antibiotics as directed to help prevent infection during your dental implants recovery.
Good oral hygiene is essential to good healing. The night of dental implant surgery, use the prescribed Oral Rinse (Chlorhexadine) before bed. The day after dental implant surgery, the rinse should be used twice daily. Perform the medicated rinsing after breakfast and normal tooth brushing and before bed. Be sure to rinse for at least one minute, then spit it out. Do not rinse your mouth afterward or drink fluids for 30 minutes. Warm salt-water rinses (one teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) should be used at least four to five times a day as well, especially after meals. Brushing your teeth with the healing abutments is not a problem. Be gentle initially when brushing the surgical areas.
Keep physical activities to a minimum immediately following dental implants. Treadmill walking and recumbent bicycling are acceptable the first few days. If you choose to exercise vigorously (running, weight lifting and aerobics, for example), throbbing or bleeding may occur. If this happens, you should discontinue exercising. Be aware that your normal nourishment intake is reduced. If you get light-headed, stop exercising.
Partial dentures, flippers or full dentures should be used only as recommended by your oral and maxillofacial surgeon. This was discussed in the preoperative consultation. If you have any questions, call Wichita OMS immediately to avoid injury to your surgical site.