Post-Operative Care for Quick, Successful Recovery
After your dental implant procedure is complete, caring for your new smile is crucial to a fast, successful recovery. At Advanced Dental Group, we recommend that you:
- Stay away from hard foods that can damage your implant. Drs. Fraser and Marx advise patients to choose pureed foods and clear liquids for the first few days.
- Don’t use a straw or spit. Actions like these can dislodge the blood clot, which prevents the surgical site from healing properly.
- Rinse with water throughout the day to clean the area surrounding your implant and reduce inflammation. Instead of spitting the water out, try letting it flow from the corner of your mouth.
- Avoid smoking or excessive alcohol consumption because this can reduce blood flow and affect the healing process.
Long-Term Dental Implant Care
Once the initial healing process is over, follow these tips to ensure that your dental implant remains healthy and attractive.
Maintain Strong Oral Care Habits
While cleaning the implant itself is essential to its success, people often forget that your gums support your implant. For this reason, the doctors at Advanced Dental Group recommend carefully brushing your teeth and gums. If done properly, you’re ensuring that your smile stays healthy for years to come.
Brushing twice a day and flossing after meals is an excellent start, but we also encourage our patients to rinse using mouthwash afterward. This makes sure that any leftover bacteria and food particles are eliminated.
Choose the Right Dental Care Products
One reason people choose dental implants is that you can clean them like the rest of your smile. For this reason, you must choose dental care products that won’t scratch or damage your implant.
- Floss: Some companies have created dental floss specifically for use with dental implants. You can also use nylon-coated floss to gently remove bacteria and food debris from your smile.
- Toothpaste: Avoid whitening products or any products that contain harsh, abrasive ingredients.
- Toothbrush: Avoid irritating your gums or scratching your implant by choosing a toothbrush with soft bristles.
- Mouthwash: Avoid products that contain alcohol. It can dry out your mouth and hinder the healing process.
Contact Advanced Dental Group for Routine Checkups
Now that you have a dental implant, your routine visits to Advanced Dental Group are more important than ever. These checkups allow our dentists to monitor your healing and examine your oral structure for potential issues. They’re also an excellent opportunity to ask our staff any questions you may have about the implant.