How Do You Care for Dental Implants

Have you just gotten your implants and now wondering how to care for your dental implants? 

Implant surgery is the process that replaces tooth roots with screw-like metal posts and replaces teeth with artificial lookalikes. 

There are multiple specialties equipped for such work, like oral surgeons, dentists, as well periodontics and dental implants can be installed by any of them.

Post-operative Care for Dental Implants

Right after the surgery, avoid:

• Touching or otherwise disturbing the wound.
• Don’t use hot drinks and hot food.
• Don’t rinse or spit.
• Don’t wear your prosthetics.
• Avoid drinking with a straw.
• Keep your physical activity to a minimum.

There could be symptoms associated with dental surgery: 

• Pain at the place where the implant is.
• Bleeding up to 48 -72 hours after the procedure.
• Swelling of the gums and face.
• Bruises of the skin and gums.
• Nausea.

Pain

Pain is common after dental surgery, so once the local anesthetic from the procedure wears off, you may use over-the-counter medication to manage it. Consult with your dental implants clinic before choosing it.

Bleeding

Some bleeding or reddish saliva is normal within the first 24 hours and may persist to up to 48-72 hours of dental implant surgery recovery period. 

If there is strong bleeding (enough to make your mouth quickly fill with blood), put a gauze pad directly on the wound and bite down for half an hour. 

Swelling and Bruising

Swelling is normal, and in some cases, bruising is too. 

To reduce it quicker, apply ice constantly for the first 36 hours after the procedure. Later on, switch to moist heat – this may speed up your dental implant recovery.

Nausea

Sipping on flat cola like Pepsi or Coke, or eating soda crackers may help mitigate post-surgery nausea. If it persists for a while, you may want to consult with your dentist.

Avoid Food That Is Too Hardy, Chewy, or Crunchy

Post-operative care for dental implants includes being attentive to your meals as well. 

Foods not to eat with dental implants for at least a week and up to six weeks:

• Hot dishes and drinks.
• Cold meals, like ice cubes.
• Hard taco shells.
• Apples.
• Nuts.
• Popcorn
• Crunchy potato chips.
• Meals that are acidic, spicy, and sticky.

Eat soft foods and drink a lot of liquid on the day of the surgery to avoid dehydration. Some good options are:

• Lukewarm creamy soups.
• Soft dairy.
• Soft vegetables and fruits.
• Oatmeals.
• Muffins.

Avoid Smoking and Drinking

Avoid these for at least a week after surgery:

• Smoking.
• Alcohol. 

Why the Care Is Important

Implants are more vulnerable to medical problems than natural teeth. They need stricter cleaning and maintenance to last. 

Why Would a Dental Implant Come Out 

If a dental implant dentist did not do a great job, or the body rejects an implant as a foreign object, it happens during the first few days or weeks after the surgery. 

Therefore there are two main reasons for a well-done implant to come out: the implant root becomes dislodged from the jaw or the tooth crown itself breaks. And this is most often due to gum disease (periodontitis) that inflicts the gums in its surroundings.

The gum disease in turn happens due to bacteria in the mouth that accumulate at the point where the gum wraps around the teeth. These bacteria expel acid, which causes the gum to recede. 

Over time, it causes the receded gum to expose the bone that holds teeth in place. 

If a long enough time passes, it would wear down the bone and cause the degeneration of the bone. Your dental implant might become loose and finally, fall out. 

Gum disease is very common, in fact, it’s the most common reason for natural tooth loss. 

The implant can last 25 years in properly cared for, so having it fall out due to lack of care and needing to renew dental implants would be unfortunate.

How to Care About Your Implant

Since an implant coming out starts from gum disease, this is where proper dental implant care comes in. The more diligent you are, the fewer chances of problems occurring there are.

• Floss daily.
• Brush the implant with a soft brush.
• Avoid trauma.
• If you smoke, consider quitting.
• Avoid tooth grinding.
• Visit the dentist immediately in case of any gum problems. 

Daily Flossing or Its Alternatives

Flossing cleans out the bacteria that accumulate at the gum line. Because of how quickly those bacteria multiply, you need to floss every day. 

Interdental brushes or a water flosser may be good alternatives if you do not like flossing.

Brushing Twice a Day

Brushing cleans the crown of the implant and it’s important to do it thoroughly. Use a soft brush and be gentle when cleaning all parts of the tooth.

Avoid Smoking 

Smoking weakens your immune system. If you smoke, you face twice the risk of getting gum disease compared with non-smokers. Finally, the treatment for the disease may be less effective on smokers. 

Avoid Dental Trauma to the Area of the Implant

If you do contact sports, wear a mouthguard.

Avoid or Manage Tooth Grinding

Grinding the teeth is one of the major reasons for teeth to crack or get chipped. It mostly happens at night, so a person does not have conscious control and awareness. 

You can wear a special dental appliance at night to effectively protect your teeth. 

Other possible ways to minimize the teeth grinding are by managing the stress and keeping yourself hydrated.

 

See a Dentist Immediately in Case of Any Gum Problems

Gum disease may have such symptoms:

• Sensitive teeth.
• Loose teeth.
• Painful chewing.
• Bleeding gums.
• Swollen or red gums.
• The gums have pulled away from the teeth. 

If you noticed any of these, consult with your family dentist Albuquerque as soon as possible, since it may be a sign of periodontitis.