Your dental implant placement surgery is a crucial step in your journey towards rebuilding your smile, which is why it’s so important to closely follow your dentist’s post-op care instructions. It’s recommended that you allow yourself enough time to rest as you heal and make sure that your mouth remains clean. In addition to these important tips, here are five things that you should avoid doing after your dental implant surgery.

Exercising

It’s important to take anywhere from two to three days off after your treatment to give your body a chance to rest and avoid any physical activity and exercising. This can cause bleeding around the dental implant area due to increased blood flow.

Foods That are Hard or Hot

Just like after you have any type of oral surgery, you’ll need to be mindful of the foods you eat. After dental implant placement, you’ll want to maintain a soft diet for at least a few days and avoid foods that are hot in temperature or spicy, because this can impact your body’s healing process. It’s also important to avoid chewing on the side of your mouth with your new implants to minimize discomfort and allow your gums to heal.

Smoking

Ideally, leading up to your dental implant surgery, you would either quit or drastically decrease any use of tobacco products like cigarettes, because they can increase your chances of experiencing implant failure. After your surgery, it’s especially important to stop smoking until your gums have healed and your implants are fused with the jawbone. Nicotine not only limits your saliva production, but also impairs bone healing, leading to issues with osseointegration.

Drinking with a Straw

Try to avoid drinking out of a straw after your surgery, because just like after wisdom tooth extraction, it can dislodge the blood clot on the surgery site and lead to dry socket. This can result in intense pain and drastically slow down your healing process.

Rinsing Your Mouth

Finally, while it’s important to keep your mouth clean as you heal from your surgery, avoid vigorously rinsing , because it can disturb the clot on the implant site. Instead, gently swish with salt water (avoid mouthwashes with alcohol in them) multiple times throughout the day. This will help prevent bacteria accumulation and avoid infection.

By avoiding these five things after your dental implant surgery, you’ll be able to heal with a smaller risk of complication, allowing you to complete your smile rejuvenation faster.

About the Author

Dr. Adam Geach is a prosthodontist, which means that he has completed a three-year formal residency after dental school to specialize in restorative and reconstructive dentistry, including dental implants. He’s able to complete the entire dental implant procedure under one roof, allowing for a more streamlined and convenient process.

To learn more about the process of restoring your smile with this modern treatment, visit Geach Dental’s website or call 213-810-3368.