Dental implant surgery leaves your mouth in a sensitive state, and your jaw bone and gum tissue need to fully heal for the procedure to be effective. Here are some of the recovery steps to take for a positive outcome.

Do:

Rest.

Rest is essential for a swift recovery. You’ll likely be groggy from the anesthesia, so plan on taking it easy after your dental implant surgery. Create a comfortable spot on the couch and enjoy your favorite movies. You should get plenty of sleep that night and continue resting for another 24 hours.

Avoid going to the gym or performing strenuous activities for several days. These can place too much stress on your body and interfere with recovery.

Continue brushing and flossing.

You can resume brushing your teeth 24 hours after dental implant surgery. Be gentle around the surgery site. You may want to brush and floss your natural teeth, then rinse with a sterilizing solution to remove debris around the implant.

Don’t:

Chew hard foods.

Avoid chewing around the dental implant to avoid harming the surgical site. Stick with soft foods like soups, smoothies, and yogurt for the first 24 hours.

Avoid hot foods right after surgery. If your mouth is still numb, you could accidentally burn yourself. Also, don’t expose your sensitive mouth to cold foods and drinks.

Drink or smoke.

Alcohol and tobacco will slow down the recovery process. At the bare minimum, avoid them for the first 24 hours. Ideally, you should quit smoking altogether since it increases your risk of developing gum disease and oral cancer.

Interested in exploring dental implants? At Smile Surgery Center in Anchorage, AK, we provide a number of cosmetic services to help restore your smile, including bone grafting, dentures, dental bridges. You can count on our more than 30 years of experience. Call us at (907) 644-4772 to schedule a consultation, and visit our website to learn more about our services.