Dental implant surgery can seem intimidating, especially if you’ve never undergone oral surgery before. You might have questions or concerns about the few days immediately following the procedure—after all, if your implants aren’t able to heal properly and fuse with your jaw, they won’t be able to support your new teeth. Fortunately, navigating the recovery period is fairly straightforward if you have the information you need beforehand! Here are a few questions you shouldn’t hesitate to ask your dentist concerning the post-op phase of dental implant placement.
1. What Kind of Discomfort Is “Normal?”
A little swelling, tenderness, or bruising is normal after implant placement, but it’s important to be able to distinguish common symptoms from concerning ones. If your pain worsens, you experience severe bleeding, or you believe one of your implants feels loose, contact your dentist and let them know. In any case, they’ll walk you through the expected recovery timeline, let you know what symptoms to expect, and provide you with care advice.
2. What Should I Eat During the First Few Days?
It’s best to stock up on soft foods and liquids before your surgery so that you have plenty of options while you’re recovering. Consider a menu with items like scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, applesauce, smoothies, protein shakes, cold soups and broth, and anything else that requires virtually no chewing. Avoid hard, crunchy, tough-to-eat foods so that you don’t irritate your implants.
3. What Activities Should I Avoid During Recovery?
It’s best to spend the next couple of days taking it easy and avoiding any exercise or strenuous physical activity, since this can increase blood flow around your surgical sites. Some patients can return to their normal daily routine quickly, but others need a little more downtime. Your dentist will be able to give you guidance on when you can return to work. You should also avoid smoking of any kind during your recovery.
4. How Should I Care for My Smile?
Oral hygiene is as important as ever following dental implant placement, since you’ll want to prevent infections around the surgical sites. You still need to be extra gentle, though, so that you don’t cause any harm. After 24 hours, you can resume brushing, but do not use mouthwash. You can also gently rinse your mouth a few times a day with mild salt water.
Whether you’re considering implants or your surgery is already on the calendar, knowing what to ask and how to prepare can ensure you enter the procedure with absolute confidence!
About the Practice
Under the leadership of Dr. Jacob Donohue, our team here at Worcester Dental Arts is proud to serve the dental needs of those in Worcester and the surrounding area. We offer a wide variety of services, including restorative options like dental implants placed in-house by Dr. Donohue himself. If you have any questions about the blog or need to schedule an appointment with us at our Worcester office, please call today or reach out online for more information or assistance. Telephone: (508) 793-2114.
