If you’re a Galesburg resident considering getting dental implants, the aftercare instructions following this oral surgery may be factoring into your decision. After all, even though dental implants are the optimal tooth replacement system on the dental market today, getting them is a much more involved process than choosing dentures or dental implants. Don’t worry. Associated Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons want to make sure you are well informed about dental implant surgery and aftercare tips before you make your decision, so they have prepared this blog to help educate you on what your recovery process will be like after getting dental implants.
Modified Oral Hygiene Care Instructions After Dental Implants Surgery
Getting dental implants inserted is a detailed oral surgery. As such, there are several things that patients who live in and around Galesburg must avoid following this surgery to promote proper healing and ensure implant success. The first thing you should know is that you need to be very careful with your mouth the day of and the immediate days following your dental implant surgery. While you are advised to brush your teeth the evening after your surgery, you must do so gently and without putting your toothbrush directly on the surgical site or sites. Avoid flossing until directed to do so by our doctors, and don’t rinse your mouth vigorously as this will be too stressful on your surgical site.
Once your postoperative bleeding has become minimal, which is usually around 24 hours after dental implants surgery, Galesburg residents are encouraged to begin gently rinsing their mouth with a saltwater solution multiple times a day. When you do this, make sure you don’t swoosh the saltwater mixture too hard or spit it out too vigorously, but simply let the solution drip out of your mouth. Our doctors typically advise patients to gently rinse with saltwater 2-3 times daily, especially after eating.
Avoid Strenuous Exercise
You may think that since dental implant surgery only involves your mouth, that you can hit the gym after you’re released. Not so fast. Our doctors advise our Galesburg patients to rest the entire day after their procedure, either by lying in bed or parking it on the couch. This is because exercise can increase the bleeding, swelling, and discomfort you experience after dental implants surgery. You’ll need to continue to avoid strenuous activity for at least 3 to 4 days after your surgery, assuming you’re healing on the expected timeline and aren’t experiencing any excessive bleeding or compilations.
Stay Away from Nicotine
Our doctors aren’t trying to lecture smokers, but merely educate them about the scientific facts. Smoking impedes the dental implant recovery process because nicotine usage constricts blood vessels at the exact time you need them wide open to enable proper healing. Additionally, smoking when you have dental implants is associated with an infection called peri-implantitis, which is known to result in dental implant failure. After all the time you’ve invested in getting your dental implants, you don’t want them to fail to fuse with your jawbone tissue and fall out, do you?
We’re Happy to Help
Whether we’ve answered all your questions in this blog post or you’re still pondering more thoughts, we’re happy to help.
Call us today at our Galesburg office to schedule an initial dental implants consultation at (309) 322-9995.
