Planning For Your Dental Implant Surgery? 4 Steps To Ensure A Healthy Recovery

There was a time when dentures and partials were the only way to replace missing natural teeth. That was before the introduction of tooth implants. Dental implants introduced a permanent way to replace natural teeth. There are numerous benefits to choosing dental implants. Some of those benefits include permanent placement, natural appearance, protection from the loss of bone, and reduction in facial changes. Once you've undergone your dental implant procedure, you'll need to be prepared for the recovery period. Here are four steps you should take to ensure that your healing process goes smoothly.

1. Watch for the Swelling

After the procedure, there will be some swelling, but you need to watch to make sure there's not too much. Too much swelling can cause additional pain and can make it difficult for you swallow. If your swelling is accompanied by an increase in pain, foul-smelling discharge, or fever, you should contact your dentist as soon as possible. You could be developing a post-operative infection. For minimal swelling, you can apply ice packs to the area for about 15 minutes at a time.

2. Don't Stop Taking Your Antibiotics

After the procedure, your dentist may give you a prescription for antibiotics. If they do, it's crucial that you take the entire dosage. Don't stop taking your antibiotics, even if you don't see any problems, or you seem to be healing properly. Failing to take all your antibiotics could lead to infection, which will interfere with the healing process, and could lead to implant failure.

3. Forego Smoking During the Healing Process

If you smoke, your dentist has probably told you to stop until after the implant procedure. However, it's also important that you forego smoking throughout the entire healing process. This is to ensure that you do experience any problems that could prevent your implants from healing properly. You might not realize this, but smoking can interfere with blood flow, which can pose a variety of problems, including infection and implant failure.

4. Be Gentle with the Dental Hygiene

If you lost your permanent teeth due to gum disease, you might be anxious about proper dental hygiene. While it is important that you brush and floss your implants to avoid further dental problems, you'll need to be gentle during those first few days after the procedure. Aggressively brushing and flossing while you're healing from your implant surgery, could cause injuries to your gums. Until your implants have completely healed, be sure to brush gently and rinse with salt water.