Placement of dental implants involves surgical procedures usually done in several stages. A lot of time is devoted to healing and waiting for the growth of the new bone in the jaw. In order to make the dental implants successful, one has to follow the doctor’s orders during the post- operative care. After the dental implants have been inserted you will be given antibiotics as well as antibiotic oral rinse- you need to follow all the specific instructions on how to use both the anesthesia and the oral rinse.
Your dentist may ask you to ice the area that as treated immediately after surgery. Depending on the work done, the oral surgeon may recommend you take the rest of the day off to rest. Ice should be used to comfort the area and reduce swelling. After 48 hours, use a warm towel to soothe the area instead of an ice pack if any discomfort is experienced.
If you experience pain that does not fade with an ice or hot pack, then you can use over the counter painkillers to reduce the pain. The dentist may prescribe a more severe medication such as codeine or vicodin just in case pain which cannot be controlled by over the counter medication is experienced.
Following surgery, you will be asked to bite firmly but gently on a gauze pad to stop the bleeding. The doctor will provide you with a packet of gauze to place over the surgical site. The pads should be changed on a daily basis and should be used until bleeding stops. Sometimes biting on a moist tea bag will be prescribed as well.
Plenty of water, at least eight glasses a day, should be drunk every day. The patient should limit their diet to soft foods such as yoghurt or soup during the first week of surgery.
A mouth rinse should be used to prevent infection and lessen discomfort. If the dentist prescribes an antibiotic, you should use caution hen spitting you rinse so that you do not harm your healing gums.
For the implants to be in good shape, one should brush and floss the teeth (including the implants) at least twice a day. The dentist will also provide some cleaning aids which can be used to properly clean your abutments. Failure to clean lowers the success rate of dental implants.
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