
How To Care For Your Dental Implants
Post-Surgery Care and Long-Term Care For Your Dental Implants
So if you’ve had dental implants, or are thinking of getting them, just like natural teeth, they need to be looked after to keep them in tip-top condition. Dental Implants are designed to last a lifetime and will do so if they are cared for properly.
So here’s the Bonaventure Dental Care quick guide designed to help you look after your dental implants whether you have a single implant or multiple implants.
Dental Implant Post-Surgery Care:
The first few days and weeks after having implant surgery are the most important. Your body will be repairing the gum and bone tissue at the implant site and the implant is fusing with your jaw bone.
There may be some initial pain or discomfort, swelling, bruising, and bleeding but you will start to feel better after the first three or four days.
But initially, we advise you to:
- Rest as much as you can. Keep your head elevated and don’t touch the implant area. There will probably be some bleeding for the first few days and the best way to control this is by biting down on gauze. To avoid unnecessary bleeding sit upright as much as you can and don’t bend or lift anything heavy.
- Apply ice to your face to reduce any bruising or swelling during the first few days for about 20 minutes at a time. Don’t put ice in your mouth and never chew on ice.
- Allow stitches to dissolve or fall out naturally unless your dentist has advised you otherwise.
- Gently clean your teeth with a soft bristle toothbrush and avoid the gum line. Don’t overclean as this will hinder the healing process. Let the water fall out of your mouth rather than spitting – this, and mouth rinsing, can irritate gums the first day or so.
- 24 hours after the surgery rinse your mouth with warm salt water to aid healing and keep the area clean.
- Your dentist will advise about pain medications that can be taken to help with any discomfort.
- Avoid hard and crunchy food and try and only eat soft foods, so something you can cut with a plastic fork. Avoid anything too rough to chew and also don’t drink anything acidic or too hot or cold. Room-temperature water is best and will keep you hydrated. Avoid using a straw. A normal diet is usually resumed after a week.
- Don’t smoke. This is a real no-no for implants especially as they heal, as smoking restricts blood flow to the bone and tissue as it heals. Avoid alcohol for the first few days also to aid healing.
Dental Implant Long-Term Care:
Once the initial healing period has passed you should be able to go forward with a good oral health routine combined with visits to the dentist for routine checks. Caring for your implants long-term is fairly straightforward but here are some tips:
- Quit Smoking! Smokers are at a much higher risk of infection and smoking is terrible for implants.
- Keep up with your routine cleanings with the dental hygienist. This not only keeps your new teeth clean but enables us to check your oral health and gums so we can catch any problems early.
- Although you can pretty much eat what you want with implants be careful with hard candy and never chew on ice or use your teeth as tools!
- Choose a non-abrasive toothpaste and nothing with whitening aids. Gentle flossing is advised to keep the gums healthy.
- A good water flosser is a great device for helping to keep teeth clean and remove any build-up around your implants and bridges.
- If you have a strong bite, clench, or grind your teeth, then a nightguard may be recommended to help prevent any wear and tear.
At Bonaventure Dental Care we offer single implants to replace just one missing tooth, multiple teeth implants, implants to replace a full set of teeth (upper or lower), and implants which can stabilize loose or ill-fitting dentures. We also offer the All-on-4 Dental Implant which uses just four implants to support a full arch of teeth on the upper, lower, or both jaws.
If you have any issues, questions, or problems with your dental implants then get in touch via 225 753 0123. We are here to help. Our FREE comprehensive guide to Dental Implants is also available here which explains much more about the procedure.
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