Protect Your Smile with Special Care
At Dr. Joe Thomas Dentistry, our team works hard to ensure you receive personalized treatments through unique and effective care. We don’t want any obstacles along the way to stop you from receiving dental implants and restoring your smile. By creating individual treatment plans, our Vero Beach team is capable of providing remarkable results that are built to last– as long as your implants are properly cared for.
We know you don’t want to see your implants fail, and neither do we. That’s why even after you receive your new restorations with us, you still need to maintain good oral health and stick to some guidelines within the first few weeks, post-surgery.
Dr. Thomas and our talented team have put together a helpful guide for our dental implant patients. We answer many common questions patients have right after their procedure when any issues arise. This aftercare guide for implants will help provide you with comfort, ease, and most importantly, success.
Oral Hygiene Tips
Cleaning your new implant-supported teeth is just as important as cleaning your natural teeth. In order to prevent plaque build-up, oral infection, or gum disease, staying on top of your oral hygiene is crucial. Here’s what you should keep in mind, especially within the first few days after the procedure:
- Regularly brush your teeth with a soft-bristle brush
- Use gentle cleaning products to avoid irritation
- Rinse with warm, salt water three to four times a day
- Use antibacterial mouthwash to kill off bacteria
- Stay consistent with your regular check-ups every year
Maintain a Beneficial Diet
Eating foods that can harm your newly placed dental implants isn’t the best idea. Extremely hot foods and drinks should be avoided within the first two weeks after surgery because they can burn the healing area. Additionally, you should also stay away from food with sharp edges because it can easily poke and irritate your gums.
We recommend that on the first day after getting dental implants, it’s best to stick to a liquid diet to refrain from any initial risk of infection to the area. Additionally, we advise you to maintain a soft food diet for at least the first few days. This includes foods like yogurt, smoothies, applesauce, mashed potatoes, ice cream, egg noodles, and more.
For Pain, Bleeding, and Swelling
Some minor pain, bleeding, or swelling may occur within the first few days after surgery. Don’t worry though, this is very normal. Your teeth and gums are sensitive areas and will often cause some level of discomfort.
Here are our simple tips to relieve any irritations that might arise around your dental implants:
- Pain: Take the suggested amount of ibuprofen, Advil®, Motrin®, Aleve®, or Tylenol®. You’ll gradually notice your pain begin to subside.
- Bleeding: Apply gauze with biting pressure for up to an hour. If your site continues to bleed excessively, call us right away.
- Swelling: Elevate your head while resting and use ice packs to help alleviate swelling.
Rest & Relaxation
After your dental implant procedure, we know many patients want to jump right back into their normal routine. For just the first day or two after surgery, we want our patients to simply take a break and relax. Excess activity and overexertion can lead to additional pain or bleeding around your restorations. You’ll greatly appreciate the extra days of rest once your new smile heals and shines beautifully with no imperfections.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I do if I encounter complications with my dental implant?
Dental implant complications are rare, but if you’re experiencing severe pain and discomfort call our Vero Beach practice immediately at (954)-793-4388. Don’t attempt to fix the problem yourself, as this can result in further complications and possible permanent damage. Dr. Thomas will make sure you get the care you need as soon as possible.
Can your mouth reject a dental implant?
It’s extremely rare that a patient’s mouth rejects a dental implant. The very few rejections that occur are caused by a rare allergic reaction to the titanium alloy that the implant is made of. Another reason for possible implant failure is improper aftercare. Without maintaining good oral hygiene, natural teeth will fail and fall out, which can also happen to your dental implant.
When you make sure to take care of your teeth and dental implant, it’ll help prevent gum decay and structure failure later on.
Your Restored Smile Awaits
Keep this post-op guide handy within the first few weeks after receiving your dental implants. You won’t need to exhaust yourself by searching online for tips and tricks for caring for your new smile. For further questions, simply call our Vero Beach office to speak with an accommodating member of our team or with Dr. Thomas.