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Dental Implants - Post
Op
A part of making the dental
implants surgery successful is to follow your doctor’s orders during the
post-operative care. After your 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
anesthetic and the oral rinse.
Following surgery, you will
be asked to bite firmly but gently on a gauze pad to stop the bleeding. Your doctor will give you a package of gauze
to take home with you and place over the surgical site. You’ll have to make sure to change the pads
and use them until the bleeding stops completely. Sometimes biting on a moist tea bag will be prescribed as
well. You’ll need to phone your doctor
if bleeding persists or increases.
If you have some discomfort
after the surgery you will be given a painkiller. You can also decrease discomfort and swelling by applying an ice
pack for about twenty minutes for the first six hours following surgery. You
can continue applying an ice pack for as long as two days following surgery.
After two days, apply moist heat to the area such as tea bag.
In order to minimize swelling
and bleeding you may want to keep your head elevated for the first twenty-four
to forty-eight hours after the surgery.
You have to make sure you relax as much as possible and avoid all
strenuous activities for as long as three days following the dental implants
surgery.
You’ll have to drink at
least eight glasses of water or fruit juice every days and try to limit your
diet to soft foods such as yogurt or soup during the first week of surgery.
You will be asked to rinse
your mouth with warm salt water solution – one teaspoon of salt in one cup of
water – about three to four times a day to further disinfect the area. You have to make sure you spit carefully to
avoid any complications.
Once your jaw bone grows
around the titanium posts, you may experience
a little discomfort around the area that can last for several weeks. An over-the-counter pain reliever,
such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, should make the pain go away.
If
you’re having any problems or questions make sure you call your doctor’s office
right away. If you follow all the
post-operative instructions you shouldn’t have any complications but it’s
always better to be safe then sorry.
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