Dental Implants Aftercare Guide

The placement of dental implants is less invasive than a tooth extraction, involving little to no pain. If you’re considering undergoing this procedure in Temecula or the surrounding areas, your dental implants specialist will explain the entire procedure and give you expert advice on dental implant aftercare.

It’s important that you follow your doctor’s advice on proper care in order not to disturb the implants during the healing process and enable them to fuse with the bone properly.

How do you care for dental implants after surgery?

Adequate care after your dental implant placement and oral surgery is crucial for facilitating the healing process and shortening the period of swelling after the procedure. During your initial consultation, your oral surgeon will explain the procedure that will be completed within a day.

Afterward, your doctor will give you advice on proper care that will include:

• Icing the area: You will need to apply ice packs or plastic bags or towels with ice to the area of the surgery. Typically, you’ll need to ice the area where the implant is placed for the next 24 hours after your procedure.
• Taking medication: While dental implant placement is not a very painful procedure, you may experience some pain after the anesthesia wears off. It’s advisable that you take some pain medication, following your doctor’s instructions. They may also prescribe some antibiotics if necessary.
• Maintaining oral hygiene: This step is of the utmost importance for proper healing and avoiding infection. Your surgeon will advise you to rinse your mouth several times a day, especially after a meal. You will also be able to brush your teeth normally, but you’ll need to be careful when brushing around the implant.
• Adjusting your diet: After the procedure, you need to stick to a soft diet. For instance, you will be able to eat mash potatoes, yogurt, cottage cheese, oatmeal, and other soft foods.
• Visiting your dental specialist. Your doctor will tell you when to come in for a follow-up appointment. Make sure not to miss your appointment and to schedule regular dental visits even after the entire process has been completed.

What to avoid after dental implants?

To properly care for your dental implants after the placement procedure, you also need to know what to avoid during the first few days.

• Foods: As already mentioned, you need to stick to a soft diet, which means nothing hot or crunchy for a couple of days. Also, make sure to drink plenty of fluids and stay hydrated. You may feel a bit weak because you won’t be able to eat normal foods for a while.
• Harmful habits: You should avoid doing things that could damage your implants or prevent them from healing properly. Therefore, you shouldn’t grind your teeth, smoke, or chew ice.
• Prosthesis: Your doctor will check to make sure that your dental prosthesis is fitting well after implant placement and will not interfere with healing.  Please avoid wearing the prosthesis unless your doctor has checked the fit and has given you a green light to wear it.
• Excessive activity: After the surgery, you should avoid engaging in physical activity for 2-3 days. Otherwise, you may experience more pain or even extensive bleeding. Getting enough rest and quality sleep will facilitate the healing process.

How long after dental implants can I eat normally?

In general, it’s advisable that you stick to a soft diet for 2-3 days after a single implant placement and possibly up to a week after multiple implant placement.  The patient who underwent an “All on 4” or “Teeth in a Day” procedure needs to be on soft/liquid foods for a minimum of 3 months to ensure proper healing of implants.

Nonetheless, you should definitely avoid chewing hard candy or ice in general, not only after your dental procedure. This will protect both your dental implants and your natural teeth.

Rely on Temecula’s trusted dental implants specialist

One of the important reasons to get dental implants is preventing the shrinking of the jawbone after teeth extraction. Therefore, it’s highly advisable that you reach out to a trusted oral specialist in this situation.

Doctor Tsvetov of Temecula Facial Oral Surgery is an educated, highly qualified, and experienced maxillofacial surgeon who specializes in dental implant placement. He has the expertise and knowledge needed to handle this procedure with minimal pain involved.

Additionally, if you’re wondering how much dental implants will cost you, we’re able to give you an estimate. We also offer 0% payment plants, so don’t hesitate to contact us for more information. Visit our office near Redhawk Community Park or give us a call and we’ll schedule your appointment.