Have you decided to restore your smile with dental implants in Lady Lake? Congratulations! This state-of-the-art tooth replacement is widely considered the next best thing to natural teeth because they replace root structure as well as crowns. However, doing so requires a minor surgery and a recovery period. As you heal after your dental implant placement, it’s important to take the proper steps when caring for your smile to ensure a smooth and fast recovery. Here are five things to avoid directly after dental implant surgery.
1.) Don’t Try to Skip Resting
You should plan on resting for at least 24-48 hours after your dental implant surgery. Don’t try to skip this step in order to get back to exercising, doing chores, or playing sports! Strenuous activity can increase your blood pressure and can cause the surgical site to bleed. Plus, just like recovering from a cold or sickness, resting allows your body to spend more energy on healing.
2.) Don’t Spit Out Forcefully
After your implant surgery, you’ll need to rinse your mouth out frequently and brush your teeth regularly to keep the surgical site clean. However, it’s essential to remember that when doing so, you need to avoid spitting out forcefully. Using too much force when spitting will irritate the tissue around your dental implant and can potentially dislodge the blood clot forming there. Instead, just open your mouth and let the liquid spill out into the sink on its own.
3.) Don’t Drink Through a Straw
Since you’ll need to stick to a soft foods diet for a while after your dental implant surgery, it’s likely that you’ll be enjoying plenty of cold beverages like ice water, smoothies, and milkshakes. However, don’t use a straw while doing so! Drinking through a straw creates suction in your mouth, which can disturb the surgical site and even dislodge the blot clot. Avoid using a straw for at least a week after your dental implant surgery.
4.) Don’t Eat Hard or Spicy Foods
As you gradually begin to add more foods into your daily diet a week or so after your dental implant surgery, make sure to make your choices wisely. The tissues that are still healing around the surgical site can easily be damaged by hard or crunchy foods and can be irritated by spicy foods. Make sure to follow the specific diet instructions given to you by your dentist and ask them any questions you have about what types of foods you should avoid.
5.) Don’t Ignore Persistent Pain
Some swelling, soreness, and bleeding is normal for a few days after dental implant surgery. However, these symptoms should be easy to manage at home and should begin to fade on their own within a few days. If these symptoms don’t seem to be getting better or appear to be getting worse, don’t hesitate to reach out to your dentist. They’ll inspect the surgical site and the rest of your mouth to see if there are any hidden issues that need to be treated.
About the Practice
The talented team of RP Dental & Implants is proud to provide unparalleled dental services to Lady Lake and the surrounding communities. Dr. Lisa Wadsworth and Dr. Rishit Patel have decades of combined experience and offer a wide range of dental treatments, including comprehensive dental implant treatment under one roof. They’ll be with you every step of the way on your journey towards a new smile to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible. If you have more questions about dental implant surgery, they can be contacted online or at (352) 750-0008.