Dental Implants Care

Dental Implants Homecare Instructions

Wondering how to avoid dental implants problems after your dental implants procedure? The experienced dentists at Now Care Dental recommend on the day of surgery that you:

  • Don’t disturb or touch the wound
  • Don’t rinse or spit
  • Avoid using straws
  • Stay away from hot liquids and hot food
  • Don’t wear your prosthesis (for at least 10 days)

Your dental implant recovery can be more comfortable by following some simple homecare instructions, which also help prevent dental implant complications.

Pain

Once you feel the local anesthetic wearing off from your dental implant procedure, take the antibiotic prescribed by your dentist—this will also help prevent infection. You can also manage dental implant pain, which is common after surgery, with over-the-counter medications. For moderate pain, take Tylenol or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) every 3-4 hours. Do not take any medication if you are allergic or have been instructed by your doctor not to take it.

Bleeding

Following your dental implants surgery, some bleeding or redness of the saliva is normal within the first 24 hours. Keeping physical activity to a minimum immediately following surgery can help prevent bleeding and throbbing. You can control excessive bleeding (your mouth fills quickly with blood) by placing a gauze pad directly on the bleeding wound and biting down for 30 minutes. If this does not slow the bleeding, please call Now Care Dental.

Nausea

You could experience nausea or vomiting after your dental implants surgery—sipping on flat cola (Pepsi or Coke) can help. You can also eat soda crackers. If the nausea continues, stop taking the pain medication and use an over-the-counter pain medication. If nausea persists, call Now Care Dental.

Swelling

To minimize swelling, we highly recommend that you apply ice continuously on the cheek near the area of your surgery. You should ice as much as possible for the first 36 hours after your dental implants procedure. Swelling is normal—as well as bruising in some cases. To speed up the healing process, apply moist heat after 36 hours of your surgery.

Diet

On the day of your surgery, be sure to eat soft foods and drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. You should avoid anything hot. You can return to a normal diet as soon as possible, unless otherwise directed. However, you should not eat popcorn, nuts or seeds for at least six weeks after your dental implants placement.

Oral Hygiene

Keeping your mouth clean is essential to the healing process. On the day of your surgery, use the prescribed oral rinse before bed. The next day, use the oral rinse twice for at least 30 seconds—after breakfast and before bed. If there is no bleeding, use warm salt water rinses (teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) at least 4–5 times a day, especially after meals. You can gently brush your teeth and the surgical area.

Still having dental implants problems?

If you are experiencing extreme pain or your have questions following your dental implants procedure, please call Now Care Dental’s Eagan, MN office at (651) 686-6800. Answering services are available 24/7. Clinic hours are 10am to 8 pm, seven days a week.

Call (651) 686-6800 to schedule an appointment or complete our appointment request form.