How To Get A Speedy Recovery After Having A Dental Implant?
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How To Get A Speedy Recovery After Having A Dental Implant?

Dec 01, 2022

Missing teeth can significantly impact your smile, bite function, and oral health. A dentist will advise you to replace your lost teeth as soon as possible. Dental implants are the closest to your natural teeth, among other treatments. They improve your smile, speech abilities, and jawbone health and allow you to enjoy your favorite foods again.

However, since a dental implant requires surgery, you might feel nervous about your recovery. Bear in mind that the surrounding bone should fuse with the implant completely for the treatment to be successful. This process is called osseointegration and takes an average of 3 – 6 months.

However, you shouldn’t be intimidated by the dental implant surgical procedure and long recovery process. You’ll recover quickly and efficiently if you strictly follow your surgeon’s instructions. Greenlake Dental offers surgical dentistry in Seattle, WA.

Tips for a Speedy Recovery after Dental Implant Surgery

Below are some tips for facilitating a speedy recovery after dental implant surgery:

  • Rest adequately.

  • Enough rest is highly essential after any surgery. Resting saves your body the energy and nutrients it requires to heal naturally and faster. Exercising or performing strenuous activities such as heavy lifting can cause significant pressure at the surgical site, delaying your healing and increasing the risk of post-surgery complications like bleeding, swelling, delayed and infections. Keep your head elevated to promote normal blood flow and prevent complications when resting.

  • Eat a soft diet.

  • When it comes to eating, you shouldn’t eat anything or drink hot items until the anesthesia wears off completely. Doing so can cause you to hurt your mouth and disturb the surgical site, leading to complications.

    For the next few days after the implant surgery, completely avoid hard, hot, crunchy, or chewy foods that can disturb or irritate the surgical site, causing unnecessary pain, bleeding, and inflammation. Therefore, your dentist will instruct you to eat soft and nutritious foods that require less or no chewing.

    These include yogurt, scrambled eggs, cool porridge, smoothies, protein shakes, soft vegetables and fruits, and ground meat. As the site heals, you can re-introduce harder foods gradually (be sure to follow your dentist’s instructions about what to eat).

  • Stay hydrated.

  • Proper hydration is highly essential after implant surgery. It will keep you energized and help remove debris and bacteria from the mouth, preventing infections. It also helps flush out toxins from the body that could slow your healing process.

    Water is the best beverage for hydration. Avoid hot and dehydrating drinks like alcohol and caffeine, as they can slow down your healing process. Also, avoid drinking using a straw.

  • Take medication as directed by the dentist.

  • After surgery, the dentist will prescribe painkillers, anti-inflammatory medicines, and antibiotics to manage post-surgery side effects such as pain, swelling, and infections. Make sure you take the medication as directed.

  • Use ice packs.

  • Along with medications, you can use ice packs on the face next to the implant site to manage pain and swelling. Wrap the ice pack in a clean cloth before placing it on your face. Use the ice pack for about 15 – 20 minutes at a time. Remove it for about 15 – 20 minutes before placing it back.

  • Rinse with salt water.

  • Saltwater rinses are highly essential after oral surgery. They help wash away debris and bacteria from the mouth, preventing infections and allowing you to heal faster. Follow your dentist’s instructions about salt water rinses.

  • Avoid smoking.

  • Smoking is generally bad for you. As far as oral surgery goes, smoking restricts blood and oxygen flow to the surgical site, impacting the body’s natural ability to heal normally. It delays the osseointegration process and increases the risk of implant failure. Therefore, avoiding smoking a few days before and after your implant surgery is essential. If possible, avoid smoking completely.

  • Practice good oral hygiene.

  • While a dental implant can’t develop cavities, excellent oral hygiene is essential to prevent infections and promote faster healing. Follow your dentist’s instructions about when you can resume brushing and flossing.

Schedule an Appointment Today

Are you interested in dental implants in Seattle? Contact our North Seattle restorative dentist for more information.

  Click to listen highlighted text! How To Get A Speedy Recovery After Having A Dental Implant? Dec 01, 2022 Missing teeth can significantly impact your smile, bite function, and oral health. A dentist will advise you to replace your lost teeth as soon as possible. Dental implants are the closest to your natural teeth, among other treatments. They improve your smile, speech abilities, and jawbone health and allow you to enjoy your favorite foods again. However, since a dental implant requires surgery, you might feel nervous about your recovery. Bear in mind that the surrounding bone should fuse with the implant completely for the treatment to be successful. This process is called osseointegration and takes an average of 3 – 6 months. However, you shouldn’t be intimidated by the dental implant surgical procedure and long recovery process. You’ll recover quickly and efficiently if you strictly follow your surgeon’s instructions. Greenlake Dental offers surgical dentistry in Seattle, WA. Tips for a Speedy Recovery after Dental Implant Surgery Below are some tips for facilitating a speedy recovery after dental implant surgery: Rest adequately. Enough rest is highly essential after any surgery. Resting saves your body the energy and nutrients it requires to heal naturally and faster. Exercising or performing strenuous activities such as heavy lifting can cause significant pressure at the surgical site, delaying your healing and increasing the risk of post-surgery complications like bleeding, swelling, delayed and infections. Keep your head elevated to promote normal blood flow and prevent complications when resting. Eat a soft diet. When it comes to eating, you shouldn’t eat anything or drink hot items until the anesthesia wears off completely. Doing so can cause you to hurt your mouth and disturb the surgical site, leading to complications. For the next few days after the implant surgery, completely avoid hard, hot, crunchy, or chewy foods that can disturb or irritate the surgical site, causing unnecessary pain, bleeding, and inflammation. Therefore, your dentist will instruct you to eat soft and nutritious foods that require less or no chewing. These include yogurt, scrambled eggs, cool porridge, smoothies, protein shakes, soft vegetables and fruits, and ground meat. As the site heals, you can re-introduce harder foods gradually (be sure to follow your dentist’s instructions about what to eat). Stay hydrated. Proper hydration is highly essential after implant surgery. It will keep you energized and help remove debris and bacteria from the mouth, preventing infections. It also helps flush out toxins from the body that could slow your healing process. Water is the best beverage for hydration. Avoid hot and dehydrating drinks like alcohol and caffeine, as they can slow down your healing process. Also, avoid drinking using a straw. Take medication as directed by the dentist. After surgery, the dentist will prescribe painkillers, anti-inflammatory medicines, and antibiotics to manage post-surgery side effects such as pain, swelling, and infections. Make sure you take the medication as directed. Use ice packs. Along with medications, you can use ice packs on the face next to the implant site to manage pain and swelling. Wrap the ice pack in a clean cloth before placing it on your face. Use the ice pack for about 15 – 20 minutes at a time. Remove it for about 15 – 20 minutes before placing it back. Rinse with salt water. Saltwater rinses are highly essential after oral surgery. They help wash away debris and bacteria from the mouth, preventing infections and allowing you to heal faster. Follow your dentist’s instructions about salt water rinses. Avoid smoking. Smoking is generally bad for you. As far as oral surgery goes, smoking restricts blood and oxygen flow to the surgical site, impacting the body’s natural ability to heal normally. It delays the osseointegration process and increases the risk of implant failure. Therefore, avoiding smoking a few days before and after your implant surgery is essential. If possible, avoid smoking completely. Practice good oral hygiene. While a dental implant can’t develop cavities, excellent oral hygiene is essential to prevent infections and promote faster healing. Follow your dentist’s instructions about when you can resume brushing and flossing. Schedule an Appointment Today Are you interested in dental implants in Seattle? Contact our North Seattle restorative dentist for more information.

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