POST-OP INSTRUCTION
What You should do after Dental Implant Surgery
(These suggestions will help you care for yourself, speed your healing and avoid complications)
___NUMBNESS If numbness is present anywhere on the day after surgery, call the office.
___PAIN After the local anesthetic wears off, you will feel mild to moderate pain in the afternoon and evening. The next day, there will much less pain. To reduce the pain you feel, continue to take over-the-counter pain relievers (eg. Ibuprofen, 3-200mg tabs and acetaminophen 500mg every 6 hours) for at least three days after your surgery. For additional pain relief, take your prescription medicine in addition to the OTC medicines. You must not drive, operate power tools, or drink alcohol when you are taking any opioid prescription pain reliever.
___CLENCHING AND GRINDING YOUR TEETH For 2-3 until 10-12 days after your operation, teeth near the implant surgery may feel high and tender when you close them together. This triggers a habit of clenching your teeth which can be damaging and painful. If you do this, your teeth may loosen temporarily. The bone around your teeth may ache and you may experience jaw muscle cramps and jaw joint stiffness and/or pain. This may feel like a toothache, earache or headache, so try not to do it! Also, if you loosen your implant(s), they will fail and could just fall out!
___SWELLING Some swelling may occur and is not unusual following dental implant surgery, especially if a bone graft was also done. It may produce a bruised appearance after 2-3 days. To minimize this, apply cold (e.g. crushed ice in a ziplok bag, wrapped in a thin towel) with pressure during the first day. After the second day, applying heat to the swollen area will help resolve the swelling faster. If any swelling is red & painful & hot, or you have a fever of more than 100F, call the office.
___BLEEDING Expect blood-tinged saliva for a day or two. Do not vigorously rinse, spit or drink through a straw. If fresh bleeding starts, apply steady pressure to the bleeding site with moist gauze or a tea bag for ten minutes. If it continues, call the office.
___ACTIVITY Avoid all strenuous exercise for the first three days after your surgery. This minimizes swelling, bruising, and bleeding from the incisions and you will feel better and recover faster.
___TOBACCO Tobacco use in any form causes poor wound healing, and prolongs your recovery; it jeopardizes the success of your surgery. You should not smoke or chew anything at all on the day of your surgery (before or after). If you cannot quit smoking entirely for two weeks you may use a non-prescription time-release nicotine patch (the minimum amount necessary). Do not use nicotine chewing gum.
___DIET It is essential to eat a well-balanced diet to ensure good healing. Do not try to chew on the implant(s)!!. If you do it may loosen your implant(s) and they will fail and could fall out! Avoid extremely hot or cold, spicy, or hard to chew foods; especially chips, pretzels, and French bread. Easy-to-eat foods include soups, eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, cooked cereals, pasta, ground meats and many types of fish, soft fruit, and cooked vegetables. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids since narcotic pain relievers can be constipating.
___SURGICAL DRESSING & SUTURES (STITCHES) Dressings protect wounds from food impaction and keep your gums and implants in the proper position for good healing. After 3 to 5 days, a stable clot has formed and dressing is no longer needed so you should remove it. Once the dressing is removed, your mouth will feel better. Sutures (white) will be removed after 2 weeks if they have not dissolved (clear).
___PATIENTS WHO HAVE ALSO HAD GUM GRAFTS If the protective dressing becomes loose or falls off, please call the office. We will replace it if necessary. The graft area will have a splotchy red and white appearance. This is normal. Do not panic. You will be amazed how good it looks and feels in 2-3 weeks. We will remove the dressing after 5-7 days. If you have a protective covering on the roof of your mouth, do not try to remove it, even if it makes your tongue sore. Let the protective covering fall off naturally. Do not brush or floss the surgical areas; use only your prescription mouth rinse, twice a day. Continue cleaning all untreated areas normally. After 10-14 days, we will teach you how to clean the surgical areas.
___PATIENTS WHO HAVE HAD SINUS BONE GRAFTS Swelling will appear overnight and last for 3-5 days; to minimize this follow instructions for swelling (above). Nasal congestion may occur after 2-3 days and last for 2 weeks or more. Do not “blow your nose” as the pressure could damage delicate membranes & endanger the graft. Instead, use a saline nasal spray as often as needed or a decongestant nasal spray (e.g. Afrin) sparingly. Other activities that effect air pressure (skin/scuba diving, skydiving) should be avoided for the first month after this surgery.
___CLEANING YOUR TEETH After cleaning your teeth normally in the non-surgical areas, rinse the surgical area with the prescription mouth rinse for ½ minute twice daily as long as directed (usually 2-6 weeks). Any staining is temporary. At you first post-operative appointment, we will polish your teeth and show you how to start cleaning the surgical area with new brushes.
___DROWSINESS Effects of sedative medicines may not wear off completely for up to 24 hours. It will be best for you to lie down and rest as soon as you get home. Do not drive, drink alcohol or use other recreational drugs for the rest of the day.